Man tries to ‘attack’ sacked AAP minister Kapil Mishra, thrashed by supporters

Kapil Mishra is on hunger strike at his north Delhi home in protest against alleged corruption in AAP. A man name Ankit Bhardwaj allegedly attempted to attack him on Wednesday evening.

A man, who allegedly attempted to attack sacked AAP minister Kapil Mishra at his home at Civil Lines in north Delhi was thrashed by his supporters on Wednesday evening. Though Mishra escaped unhurt, the man, identified as Ankit Bhardwaj, was caught on the premises and handed to the police.

Ankit Bhardwaj (in picture) was thrashed by supporters of sacked AAP minister Kapil Mishra who is on hunger strike at his residence in north Delhi’s Civil Lines. (HT Photo)

Bhardwaj told the media that he was an AAP supporter though the party claimed he belonged to the BJP. Soon after, BJP issued a statement distancing itself from the incident. “From the information that we have till now, he is a not a member of the party. We totally disassociate ourselves from such an act and we would like to condemn the violence,” said BJP spokesperson Rajiv Babbar.

Bhardwaj tried to speak to the media present in the house even as he was being roughed up. His hair was pulled and clothes torn. He was pushed to the ground and even kicked and punched, despite a police personnel trying to guard him.

“Some people tried to attack me but they were stopped by my followers. I do not know who these people are but I told my supporters that if they manhandle anyone, even the person who came to attack me, I will give up water,” Kapil Mishra later told reporters, lying on a mattress in his house.

Mishra has been on a hunger strike since Wednesday morning and has demanded to know details of the foreign travel by AAP leaders, Sanjay Singh, Ashish Khaitan, Satyendar Jain, Raghav Chaddha and Durgesh Pathak.

Earlier in the day, Mishra, who was sacked from the post of water and tourism minister on May 6, wrote an open letter to Arvind Kejriwal stating that he was staging no dharna but a Satyagraha.

Mishra was sacked from the primary membership of the party after he made corruption charges against party’s national convener Arvind Kjeirwal.