Rajasthan's SOG team returns empty-handed from Manesar hotel in Gurgaon

The SOG team on Friday went to Manesar in Gurgaon to question MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma, as part of its investigation into two audio clips which allegedly indicate a plot to bring down the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan.

New Delhi: A Special Operations Group (SOG) team on Friday (July 17) went to Manesar in Gurgaon to question MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma, as part of its investigation into two audio clips which allegedly indicate a plot to bring down the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan. 

The SOG team reached Hotel ITC India in Manesar but it failed to see the name of MLA Bhanwarlal in the hotel register. It returned empty-handed after probing the hotel officials at the reception.

The team was, however, stopped for some time by the Haryana police from entering the hotel. The SOG team then left for the second hotel in Manesar where some of the MLAs led by rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot are said to camping.

Earlier in the day, the Congress had alleged that senior BJP leader and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also figured in the clips, which surfaced on social media.

Union minister Shekhawat and MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma have rejected the charge that they figured in the audio clips. 

On the basis of the name appearing in the conversation, Congress party's chief whip Mahesh Joshi filed two FIRs with the SOG today.

In one of the two FIRs, the name of Sanjay Jain along with a minister and Congress MLA has been mentioned. As the audio surfaced, SOG immediately detained Sanjay Jain and questioned him for about 12 hours on Thursday. 

The Ashok Gehlot government has accused Sachin Pilot and other dissident Congress legislators of destabilizing the government after which an investigation into the case has been started.