AAP MLA arrested for threatening woman, sent to police custody

New Delhi, July 24 (IANS) AAP legislator from Okhla, Aamanatullah Khan, was arrested on Sunday on charges of threatening a woman, police said. A court later sent him to one-day police custody.

"We have arrested the legislator today (Sunday) morning as the complainant again informed the police that he was threatening her and also trying to manipulate the evidences," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Rajeev Ranjan told IANS.

Khan was presented before a duty magistrate who sent him to one-day police custody.

A 35-year-old woman had filed a complaint against Khan on July 20 for allegedly threatening her with dire consequences.

A case was registered against the legislator under Sections 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Jamia Nagar police station in south Delhi, Ranjan said.

The alleged incident took place on July 10, when the complainant went to Khan's residence in South Delhi's Batla House locality after a telephonic conversation with him to complain about poor electricity supply in Jasola area where she resides.

One of the legislators's supporters present there allegedly abused the woman and threatened her with dire consequences, the woman said in her complaint.

The complainant alleged that the supporter said he was abusing her on the "orders of Khan".

Khan also filed a counter-case on Saturday and claimed that he was not even in Delhi when he is supposed to have threatened the woman.

The AAP also released a secretly shot video of the woman on Saturday where she is heard saying she was told by the SHO to throw the rape charge at the legislator and said the complainant was acting under police pressure.

Reacting to Khan's arrest, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: "(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji arrests one more AAP MLA."

"(Gujarat Chief Minister) Anandiben (Patel) sends Dalits and Patidars to jail in fake cases in Gujarat, Modiji sends Delhi people to jail in fake cases. Delhi and Gujarat will now fight together," he said in another tweet.

Khan is the 10th Aam Aadmi Party legislator to be arrested since it swept to power in February 2015 after crushing the BJP in Delhi assembly elections.

In all but one case, the AAP has defended the legislators and accused the Narendra Modi government of vendetta.