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Midnight ‘raid’ based on evidence: Yadav
Tribune News Service/PTI

3 cops suspended Three Delhi Police constables were suspended on Friday after a video uploaded by AAP on FB allegedly showed them thrashing a man with sticks near the Red Fort "The incident took place on January 12. An inquiry is being conducted," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Central Range), Sandeep Goel The police ordered suspension of cops after watching the video on YouTube Requests Africans not to leave Khirki Extension The Delhi Government today urged African nationals against moving out of the Khirki Extension locality following reports that some of them were leaving the area in the wake of the midnight raid which Law Minister Somnath Bharti allegedly led there last week. — PTI DCW chief may be replaced The AAP government is likely to replace Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Barkha Singh, who has been accused by party members of having “politicised” the role of her office while dealing with the raid. Singh had criticised Bharti’s lawyer Rishikesh Kumar for his “uncivil” behaviour following an argument between the two. She had refused to allow Bharti’s lawyer to represent him in the proceedings against Bharti. — PTI

New Delhi, January 24
Amid demands for the removal of Somnath Bharti for the midnight “raid”, AAP today jumped to his defence, saying he had sought action against the alleged drug and prostitution racket on the basis of “some evidence”.

Senior AAP leader Yogendra Yadav said it was a “mistake” on the part of his party not to have “cobbled” together the evidence supporting Bharti’s action and put it in public domain to dispel the impression that he had acted without any basis.

On his part, Bharti today failed to appear before Delhi Commission for Women (DCW). Instead, he sent his lawyer, who was engaged in heated arguments with its chairperson Barkha Singh.

Defending Bharti, Yadav, speaking on a TV channel, said: “I saw the evidence myself.... I admit that the mistake was that we should have cobbled all evidence and put it in public domain and let the public view it. I think we allowed the mistaken impression to persist, which was an error.”

Asked if Bharti would have been exonerated had the evidence been put out, Yadav said, “Not exonerated. Prima facie, there is no evidence for all things that are being put out (against Bharti).”

Bharti is facing criticism over allegedly misbehaving with four African women during a midnight raid conducted by him to bust a drug and prostitution racket in South Delhi following which he was served notice by the DCW. He was asked to appear before the commission by today to explain charges against him.

The DCW refused to entertain his lawyer Rishikesh Kumar and said he had no authorisation from Bharti. However, Kumar claimed that the DCW had sent the summons to a wrong address.