Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Thursday sought to rubbish the claims put forward by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former law Minister Somnath Bharti after his estranged wife filed a case of domestic violence against him.
In yet another embarrassment for AAP, the DCW on Thursday issued a notice to party’s Malviya Nagar MlA Somnath Bharti over complaint filed by his wife regarding domestic violence. DCW chairperson Barkha Shukla Singh said, “We have called Somnath on June 26 to clarify allegations against him about domestic violence.”
Following a complaint by Bharti’s wife, DCW earlier on Thursday served a notice to the former Delhi law Minister. DCW has forwarded lipika’s complaint to Dwarka North police station.
Singh while talking to The Pioneer said, “Bharti has made up all these excuses to strike a balance for the torture that he has been repeatedly inflicting on his wife since 2010.”
She revealed that his wife has been tortured physically, mentally and verbally by him and his family since their marriage. Singh particularly said that his wife was often beaten up by Bharti, his mother and brother.
While Bharti maintained his stand on his ‘innocence’ asserting that they were not living together since a year and six months hence, no such charge is justified. On the other hand, Singh denied Bharti’s claims. Singh alleged that before his visit to Kerala, Bharti had hit her compelling her to move out with her kids.
She added, “She (lipika) had reached a point where she no longer could withstand his continuing torture and also his maltreatment created a sense of fear in the psyche of her four-year old daughter who was traumatised and she moved out.”
Reinforcing their ‘stereotypical’ mindset, DCW chief asserted, “During the course of their marriage she was ill-treated as demand for dowry (car and jewellery) was made and she was forced to terminate her third pregnancy.”
Recounting lipika’s misery till date, Singh trashed Somnath Bharti claims on his ‘willingness’ to support his wife financially. She said Bharti’s wife bore all the expenses of their honeymoon and even took care of the finances during her abortion.
Sceptical on his presence on June 26 before DCW after a summon has been filed against him, Barkha Singh considered this case as ‘solid’ and said that an FIR will be lodged if he doesn’t appear before the commission on the specified date.
Emphasising on his last year’s controversy where he allegedly misbehaved with some African women during a raid in Khirki Extension, Singh called him a ‘psychopath’ and recollecting his involvement in the former controversy, attributed him to be capable of committing such a crime (domestic violence.)