NEW DELHI: In yet another setback for Aam Aadmi Party, a case of molestation and criminal intimidation was registered against its party legislator Prakash Jarwal on Friday. It's the second such case against an AAP legislator in a fortnight. Earlier, a sexual harassment case was registered against AAP legislator Dinesh Mohaniya, who represents Sangam Vihar in Delhi assembly.
The woman, a resident of south Delhi’s Sangam Vihar, alleged that Jarwal threatened and molested her on June 2 when she had gone to the Delhi Jal Board office to protest against water problems in her neighbourhood. “I have protested at the DJB office, where Jarwal sits. He knows me. He had threatened me before but this time he molested and threatened me again,” the woman stated in her complaint.
Meanwhile, Jarwal posted on Twitter, “Molestation of women against me is baseless. It's all about dirty political game.”
The woman alleged that when she was protesting against the lack of water supply in her locality, some of Jarwal’s men saw her and ordered her to go away. “Some of his goons said the MLA will fix me today. At around noon, the MLA reached the DJB campus and hit me on my chest with a wrong intention,” her statement in the FIR read.
“I nearly fell down but managed to save myself. Before leaving he threatened me saying he would bump me off,” she alleged.
She than visited a senior Delhi police officer on Wednesday with her complaint after which a case was registered.
Police said they will record the woman’s statement before a magistrate, after which Jarwal is likely to be arrested.
Jarwalm who is MLA from Deoli area, has been booked under sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506(criminal intimidation), 509 (act with intent to outrage modesty of woman) of the Indian Penal Code.
In May, 2014, Jarwal was also arrested for assaulting a junior engineer of the Delhi Jal Board at Sangam Vihar.