CHANDIGARH: Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kumar Vishwas has been booked by the Punjab police on charges of promoting enmity between different groups by making provoking statements.
A police team on Wednesday visited his residence at Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh to summon him to join the investigation before April 26.
Sources said that a team of state police on Wednesday morning reached the house of Vishwas at Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh to serve the notice to join the investigation but he was not present in the house.
"Our team has given the notice to his staff. If he fails to join the probe within April 26 following the due course of law he could be arrested,’’ said Senior Superintendent of Police of Rupnagar, Sandeep Garg
The Rupnagar Sadar police based on a complaint lodged by an AAP worker has registered a case against Vishwas under Section 125 of the Representation of People Act besides several Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections, including, 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot), 153-A (Whoever commits an offence specified in sub-section (1) in any place of worship or in any assembly engaged in the performance of religious worship...), 502 (Selling any printed or engraved substance containing defamatory matter) and 147 (Punishment for rioting).
In the complaint, it is alleged that when he was campaigning in a village along with AAP supporters, some masked men stopped them and called them Khalistani. Similar incidents have been regularly occurring. All this started after Kumar Vishwas gave inflammatory statements against AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal on news channels and social media platforms alleging AAP links with separatist elements. As a result of these statements and videos, the peaceful atmosphere of the state of Punjab is likely to be disturbed.
Sandeep Garg told this newspaper that a case has been registered against Kumar Vishwas after a complaint was received against him. The case is being investigated. So a notice has been served on him (Vishwas) to produce evidence to support his allegations.
Meanwhile, Vishwas tweeted pictures of Punjab police at his house. Without naming Kejriwal, Vishwas warned Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann that AAP National Convener and Delhi Chief Minister would 'betray him and Punjab one day’. Kumar claimed that Bhagwant Mann was inducted into the AAP by Kejriwal on his behest and now the same man is being used against him.
"I am warning you that the man sitting in Delhi, whom you are allowing to play with the power given by the people of Punjab, will one day betray you and Punjab also. The country will remember my warning,’’ he tweeted.
In response to that tweet, AAP leader Naresh Balyan took to Twitter to hit back, "Police are only asking for proof of what you had said before the elections. Give them the evidence and end the matter.’’
Before the Punjab assembly elections, a founding member of AAP, Kumar alleged that "Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal wanted to be either the Punjab CM or to become the PM of independent Khalistan.’’
This video of his comments was shared by the Bharatiya Janata Party. It created an uproar. The union government later gave Y category security to Vishwas.
Reacting to this development Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal, and the BJP said that the AAP government is misusing the police for political vendetta.
Congress Legislature Party leader Partap Singh Bajwa alleged that AAP Government is misusing the state police and bureaucracy of Punjab to increase its strength in other states. He accused Kejriwal of running the Punjab government through remote control.
While Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira tweeted,`` I strongly condemn this act of political vendetta against @Dr KumarVishwas for making a statement against @ArvindKejriwal during the elections! What’s the difference between @AamAadmiParty and traditional parties? I urge @BhagwantMann not to misuse Pb Police to settle political scores!’’
Meanwhile, police reportedly reached the house of Congress leader Alka Lamba. She took to Twitter to announce that the Punjab police has reached her house. To this, Congress MLA Pargat Singh tweeted, "Now this looks like Himmler in action.’’
Shiromani Akali Dal spokesman Charanjit Singh Brar said the state police is being misused by the AAP government and they condemn the raid on the house of Kumar Vishwas. "This is not the first time AAP misused the police first a case was registered and PTC MD Rabindra Narayan was arrested and then Congress leader was harassed and then BJP leaders were booked. Who is running the Punjab Government? Kejriwal is running the state government.’’
BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh alleged that the AAP Government is using the state police to settle political scores.
This is not the first time that the AAP government is using its police against the opposition leaders. Earlier, the state police had registered two separate cases against two Delhi-based BJP leaders Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga and Naveen Kumar Jindal. The police reached the national capital to arrest them. Bagga was booked for his controversial remarks against Kejriwal relating to the movie The Kashmir Files and Jindal was booked for sharing a doctored video clip of Kejriwal on April 6.