Quran sacrilege: AAP MLA in two-day police custody

Sushil Goyal

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, July 25

The court of the Subdivisional Judicial Magistrate, Malerkotla, today remanded Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Naresh Yadav in two-day police custody in the Quran desecration case.

Talking to mediapersons here, Balkar Singh Sidhu, DIG, Patiala Range, said the police had strong evidence against Yadav, adding that it would be revealed while submitting the challan.

The DIG claimed that during the earlier two sessions of interrogation at Patiala and the CIA office at Bahadur Singh Wala (Dhuri), the MLA had not replied to questions linked to the desecration.

The DIG said the police had sought seven days’ police remand, but the court had given it for two days. He refuted the AAP allegation that the case against Yadav was politically motivated.

Meanwhile, AAP leaders Sucha Singh Chhotepur, Bhagwant Mann and Sanjay Singh today announced the holding of statewide dharnas from 11 am to 2 pm tomorrow in protest against Yadav’s arrest. The dharnas will be organised in front of the offices of the deputy commissioners at all district headquarters.

Mann said Yadav had been cooperating with the police by joining the investigation, while reiterating that the MLA had been framed.

 Party to move HC over arrest

New Delhi: Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of calling the Punjab Police to arrest a party legislator in the Quran desecration case, AAP said today that it would move the Delhi High Court against the arrest of its legislators in ‘false’ cases. Party MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam said: “You (Modi) called the Punjab Police to Delhi to arrest Naresh Yadav. Why not call the Gujarat and Goa Police also to arrest other MLAs?” He said the AAP was not scared by these tactics. The Aam Aadmi Party also accused the Centre of using the Delhi Police as a political tool. “AAP will file a writ petition in the High Court against the unnecessary arrest of our legislators by the Delhi Police in false cases. We will inform the court that our MLAs are being framed,” said Gautam. Party legislator Amanatullah Khan was arrested yesterday on the charge of threatening a woman. The same day, Yadav was arrested in the Malerkotla desecration case. —IANS