AAP legislators fail to turn up for questioning in CS assault case

None of the two AAP MLAs summoned by the Delhi Police in connection with the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash turned up for questioning today, with the police saying they will be given one more opportunity to do so. The two AAP legislators, Nitin Tyagi and Rajesh Rishi, were summoned for questioning at Civil Lines police station by 4pm. "They did not turn up.

We will summon them afresh and if they do not come, we will seek help of the court to ensure their questioning," said Harendra Kumar Singh, additional DCP(north). Police said Laxmi Nagar MLA Tyagi claimed he was in Kolkata and sought a week's time to present himself for questioning. Rishi, the MLA from Janakpuri, claimed he was unable to visit the police station as he was ill. The role of Tyagi and Rishi in the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Prakash is under investigation as they were present at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence, where the alleged assault happened on the night of February 19-20. Eleven MLAs, apart from Kejriwal, his adviser V K Jain and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, were present during the meeting at Kejriwal's residence when Prakash was allegedly attacked. On February 23, a police team examined the CCTV surveillance system installed at the chief minister's residence in Civil Lines area and seized the hard disc. Two other AAP MLAs - Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal - were arrested and are now in judicial custody in connection with the case. Jain was also questioned in connection with the alleged assault. The alleged assault on the chief secretary has triggered a bitter tussle between the Delhi government and its bureaucracy. Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia yesterday accused Lt Governor Anil Baijal of siding with the government officers. In a terse letter to Baijal, Sisodia equated the IAS officers' association with a "khaap panchyat" and attacked him for "backing" its "fatwa" to boycott official meetings with AAP ministers. The officers have boycotted meetings with AAP ministers since the attack and Baijal has asked Kejriwal to reach out to the officers and end the row.

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