Delhi excise policy case: BJP dares Kejriwal to take lie detector test
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Saturday claimed that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was trembling with fear following the CBI summons to him in the excise policy case, and said he should take a lie detector test if he had nothing to be afraid of.
Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia also slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader for attacking the central government over the summons and said it was not the time for rhetoric but accountability.
Noting Kejriwal's past attacks on politicians cutting across parties over the issue of corruption, Bhatia said the AAP supremo should submit himself for the lie detector test to make things clear.
He alleged that Kejriwal is the "kingpin" in the 'liquor scam' case in which the latter's confidant and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia is behind the bars.
Bhatia asked Kejriwal several questions and wondered if he was not accountable for the proceedings of the February, 2021 meeting of the Delhi Cabinet in which the scam was allegedly hatched.
He also questioned him about his alleged conversation with an accused on FaceTime.
Handcuffs are approaching him and that is why he is frightened and trembling with fear, Bhatia said.
He also noted that the Supreme Court has refused to give any relief to Sisodia while a sessions court made some critical observations on his role in the scam while rejecting his bail plea.
The probe agencies are free to pursue corruption cases under Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government which has a "zero tolerance" for corruption, he claimed.
"We have asked Kejriwal five questions, and I dare him to answer even one of it. He will beat around the bush and evade these questions," he said.
"The session court rejected Sisodia's bail stating he called the then excise commissioner to grant L1 to Indospirit's Sameer Mahendroo. Why would a minister compel an excise commissioner to give L1 to a particular person/entity?" Bhatia asked.
The CBI on Friday summoned the Delhi chief minister on April 16 in connection with the excise policy scam case.
According to the notice issued by the CBI, Kejriwal has been called to appear at the agency headquarters at 11 AM on Sunday to answer queries of the investigating team as a witness in the case, officials said.
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Dalit outfits call state-wide hartal over dental student’s death
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Various Dalit organisations on Monday announced a state-wide hartal seeking justice in the death of Kannur Dental College student Nithin Raj.
The hartal will be observed on Tuesday from 6 am to 6 pm.
As many as 52 Dalit organisations, including Justice for Nithin Raj Action Council, have announced the strike.
Organisations requesting cooperation for the strike said that no vehicles will be forcibly stopped and that all essential services are exempted.
Raj, a first-year BDS student at a private dental college in Anjarakkandy in Kannur district, was found critically injured after falling from a building on April 10 and later succumbed to his injuries.
Police have registered a case against two faculty members on charges of abetment of suicide and under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, following allegations by the student’s family that he was subjected to caste- and complexion-based harassment.
Kerala Pinnokka Samudaya Munnani (KPSM), one of the organisations supporting the hartal, alleged in a statement that police had shown apathy in the investigation and were attempting to protect the accused in the case.
KPSM state president K V Padmanabhan and general secretary S Anwar alleged that the probe into Raj’s death was being deliberately misdirected and delayed.
While the family has firmly alleged that caste discrimination and mental harassment by faculty members led to the student’s death, police were attempting to divert the investigation towards loan app borrowings, they claimed.
The organisation alleged that this was a planned move to shield the real accused.
KPSM further alleged that by deliberately delaying the arrest of the accused teachers, police enabled them to secure anticipatory bail.
They said there was no confidence in the present police investigation and demanded that the case be handed over to an independent agency at the earliest.
