Delhi Police searches for Amanatullah Khan in threat case, AAP leader reacts to ‘absconding’ claims
Amanatullah Khan denied being on the run, stating in a letter to Delhi Police Commissioner that he is not hiding and accused police of falsely implicating him.
The Delhi Police has launched a search operation for Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan after he was booked for allegedly leading an attack on a police team and threatening them in Jamia Nagar, news agency ANI reported.
Amanatullah Khan Khan, however, has dismissed claims that he is on the run, India Today reported. In a letter to the Delhi Police Commissioner, the AAP leader said he was not in hiding and accused the police of falsely implicating him.
"I am in my Assembly constituency, I am not in hiding. The person whom the Delhi Police came to arrest is out on bail. The police is implicating me in this false case to hide their mistake," the Okhla MLA wrote, as quoted by India Today.
Amanatullah Khan retained his Okhla seat in the February 5 Assembly elections, securing victory by a margin of 23,639 votes. However, his party, AAP, faced a major setback, winning only 22 seats—a sharp decline from its previous tally of 62. The BJP, securing 48 seats, returned to power in Delhi after 27 years.
FIR against Amanatullah Khan
An FIR has been registered against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan for allegedly manhandling and threatening police while obstructing the arrest of an accused in a 2018 attempted murder case. The case has been filed under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).
The incident took place on February 10 at around 3 pm when a Crime Branch team visited the Jogabai Extension area of Jamia Nagar to arrest Shavez Khan. While interrogating him, Amanatullah Khan, along with 20-25 supporters, allegedly confronted the police, threatened them, and forcibly took Shavez away. The FIR states that Khan and his supporters declared that "they don't value courts" and pushed and shoved the officers.
Since the incident, Khan has been absconding. On Monday, Delhi Police officials visited his residence in connection with the case.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East Delhi) Ravi Kumar Singh confirmed that efforts are underway to locate both Amanatullah Khan and Shavez Khan. Speaking to ANI, he stated, “A team of Crime Branch had come to nab a proclaimed offender, Shavez Khan. While he was being questioned, Amanatullah Khan came here along with his supporters and freed him. He (Shavez Khan) has been absconding since then. We are undertaking legal proceedings. All necessary legal actions will be taken... Efforts are being made to establish contact with him (Amanatullah Khan), it is yet to go through...The investigation is underway.”
(With ANI inputs)
