Chandigarh: Arrest warrant has been issued against close aide of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda after he failed to appear before police to join investigation in a sedition case registered against him, Police said on Tuesday.
"Local court has issued arrest warrant against Virender," IGP Rohtak Range Sanjay Kumar said today.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Haryana police had moved court after the close aide of Hooda failed to join investigation.
Police had issued notice to join investigation by February 28 but Virender had failed to appear before the police.
Lawyer of Virender had requested seven-day time for joining investigation, but police had yesterday asked him to join investigation immediately.
"We are searching for him," IGP said.
Rohtak Police on February 24 had booked Virender, a close aide of former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and another person on sedition charges after the duo's 90-second audio clip of a purported conversation between them, allegedly to incite violence during Jat agitation, had gone viral on social media.
An FIR was registered against Virender and Man Singh Dalal under various sections of the IPC, including Section 124-A (Sedition) and Section 120-B (Conspiracy), Section 153-A (promoting enmity between classes) and Section 153-B (imputation, assertion prejudicial to national integration).
FIR was registered in Rohtak against Virender and Man Singh, the other person with whom the Congress leader is in conversation in the audio clip.
Virender, political advisor to former Chief Minister Hooda of Congress, had earlier accepted that the voice in the clip was his but alleged the conversation has been doctored".
