BJP files police complaint against Rahul, seeks FIR under ‘attempt to murder, assault, incitement’

PTI, Dec 19, 2024, 7:17 PM IST

The BJP on Thursday filed a police complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of “physical assault and incitement” during a scuffle in Parliament premises, and sought his indictment under sections of attempt to murder and other charges.

BJP MP Hemang Joshi, accompanied by his party colleagues Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj, visited the Parliament Street Police Station and filed the complaint.

A face-off at the Parliament entry steps between the opposition and NDA MPs in Parliament premises over the alleged insult to B R Ambedkar left former minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput injured.

Talking to reporters outside the police station, Thakur demanded a thorough investigation and an FIR under sections 109 (attempt to murder), 115 (voluntary causing hurt), 117 (voluntary causing grievous hurt), 125 (act of endangering life or personal safety of others), 131 (use of criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention) of the BNS in the matter.

The Congress strongly rejected the claim, alleging that BJP MPs pushed its chief Mallikarjun Kharge and “physically manhandled” Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Congress also lodged a complaint in connection the matter.

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 accused the BJP MPs of pushing its chief Mallikarjun Kharge and “physically manhandled” Gandhi.

A delegation of Congress MPs, including Digvijaya Singh, Mukul Wasnik, Rajiv Shukla and Pramod Tiwari, filed the complaint visiting the station in person, an officer said.

The BJP delegation was still inside New Delhi DCP Devesh Kumar Mahla’s office there, when the Congress leaders came with their complaint and were asked to wait inside the ACP’s room.

In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, several Congress MPs asked him to initiate an inquiry into the incident.