AAP Minister Accuses BJP MLA of Assaulting Him in Secretariat in Full View of Cops

New Delhi: In yet another allegation of physical assault inside the Delhi Secretariat, Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain has accused BJP MLA from Rajouri Garden Manjinder Singh Sirsa of assaulting him inside the Secretariat premises. The incident, he said, took place in full view of policemen deployed at the spot. This is the third such alleged incident in the secretariat in the last four months.

“I had called two meetings on Thursday. I had called the Food Commissioner and Environment Secretary for a meeting. Neither of them came. L-G called for a meeting at the same time as my meeting. I left to meet the L-G at 2:40 pm. When I exited the lift, Manjinder Singh Sirsa (BJP MLA from Rajouri Garden) assaulted me. There were at least 15 policemen who were standing there who did nothing. I am going to file an FIR,” Hussain said.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh added, “Delhi Secretariat has become a den of hooliganism for some BJP leaders. The security of the Secretariat is in the hands of the Modi Government. So, why is it that these BJP leaders have not been arrested?”

Sirsa is currently protesting against the Kejriwal government outside the CM’s office at Secretariat. He is joined by West Delhi MP Parvesh Singh Sahib Verma, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Vijender Gupta and MLA Jagadish Pradhan. Despite repeated attempts, Sirsa could not be reached for comment.

In February, hours after Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash alleged that he was assaulted by two AAP MLAs during a meeting at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence, a mob of around 150-200 people entered the lobby of the Delhi Secretariat and assaulted Minister Imran Hussain and his staff. Videos of the incident were subsequently released by the AAP, in which the face of the attacker was visible. Senior AAP leader Ashish Khetan claimed he was also assaulted on the same day on another floor by a mob.

Meanwhile, Hussain said the government had taken steps to tackle the ongoing pollution crisis and improve air quality in Delhi. “Construction work across Delhi has been stopped till Sunday. We have asked all agencies to cover any construction site that could lead to dust. We have also asked agencies to do sprinkling and mechanical sweeping. Agencies, especially MCD and PWD, have been asked to crackdown on burning of leaves and garbage,” Hussain said.