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Cops book Rahul Gandhi, Congress files counter complaint
The FIR was registered on a complaint filed by BJP MP Hemang Joshi who urged the police to lodge a complaint on charges of attempt to murder, causing hurt, endangering life and using criminal force.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been booked for allegedly physically assaulting Bharatiya Janata Party MPs during a scuffle in Parliament Complex, police officials said late on Thursday, adding that the charges filed against the Rae Bareli MP include assault and criminal intimidation.
“The FIR has been registered and further probe will be conducted,” a senior police officer said.
The FIR was registered on a complaint filed by BJP MP Hemang Joshi who urged the police to lodge a complaint on charges of attempt to murder, causing hurt, endangering life and using criminal force among other sections.
Gandhi has been booked under sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 117 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 125 (endangering life), 131 (assault), 351 (criminal intimidation), and 3/5 (common intention) of the BNSS, the officer said requesting anonymity.
The officer said police are likely to call Gandhi for questioning in connection with the case.
Police will request the Lok Sabha Secretariat to provide the CCTV footage of the area where the alleged incident happened.
A face-off at the Parliament entry steps between MPs from the INDIA bloc and the NDA over the alleged insult to BR Ambedkar left former minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput injured.
After the incident, the BJP filed the police complaint against Gandhi, accusing him of “physical assault and incitement” and sought his indictment under sections of attempt to murder and other charges.
Joshi, accompanied by party colleagues Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj, visited the Parliament Street Police Station and filed the complaint.
In his two-page complaint, BJP MP from Vadodara Hemang Joshi said, “At around 10, I along with Mukesh Rajput ji, Pratap Rao Sarangi ji and other large numbers of my fellow Members of Parliament belonging to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), were peacefully demonstrating at the Makar Dwar entrance of Parliament.”
He said they were protesting against the “blatant misinformation being propagated by opposition parties, particularly led by the Indian National Congress.”
“During this peaceful demonstration, Rahul Gandhi, arrived at the scene around 10.40 am to 10.45 am. Despite request from Parliament security to take the designated entry path, Rahul Gandhi with a malicious intent to disrupt the protest and physically harm NDA Members of Parliament ignored the instructions and forcefully barged toward the peaceful demonstrators,” Joshi said in the complaint.
Not only did Rahul Gandhi and others violated the instructions of the security, he also instigated other “INDI Alliance Members” to proceed with force and aggression toward the NDA MPs, putting them in jeopardy, he alleged .
“They intentionally used physical force to push Mukesh Rajput and Pratap Rao Sarangi and others who were standing on the narrow stairs at the entrance,” Joshi said.
He said that as consequence Mukesh Rajput sustained a “severe injury” to the back of his head and Sarangi to his forehead.
“My colleague, Dr. Byreddy Sabari, MP, who is also a qualified doctor, immediately provided first aid to the injured individuals. I personally witnessed the incident as I was standing next to my injured colleagues and attempted to reason with Shri Rahul Gandhi and his accomplices,” Joshi added in the complaint.
Thakur also accused Gandhi of behaving with a female BJP MP from Nagaland.
The Congress strongly rejected the charges, alleging that BJP MPs pushed its chief Mallikarjun Kharge and “physically manhandled” Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Gandhi.
Congress also lodged a complaint in connection the matter.
The Congress accused the BJP MPs of pushing its chief Mallikarjun Kharge and “physically manhandled” Gandhi.
“I witnessed that in there bid to stop the protest march, the BJP MP’s exerted physical force on Shri Kharge by pushing him to the ground. This has inflicted bodily injuries to Shri Kharge, Neeraj Dangi and others... The individuals involved in committing offences against Shri Kahreg are identifiable from the video evidence being shared along with the present complaint,” they wrote in the complaint.
“Despite being aware of the fact that Shri Kharge ji is more than 80 years of age and exerting criminal force on him would likely to inflict severe bodily injuries on his person, the same did not deter BJP MPs from committing their violent act. This rash act committed by BJP MPs clearly amount to endangering the life of Shri Kharge ji,” they said in the complaint.
A delegation of Congress MPs, including Digvijaya Singh, Mukul Wasnik, Rajiv Shukla and Pramod Tiwari, filed the complaint visiting the station in person, officials said. “The complaint lodged by INC is still under legal examination,” they said.
