AAP MLA Naresh Yadav, booked in Malerkotla sacrilege incident, arrested by Punjab police

In a double whammy for AAP, two MLAs of Delhi's ruling party were on Sunday arrested, one for allegedly trying to mow a woman down and another in a sacrilege incident in Punjab.

Pic Courtesy: ANI

Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Naresh Yadav, booked in connection with alleged Malerkotla sacrilege incident on June 24, was arrested by Punjab police on Sunday.

Punjab Police IG (Patiala Zone) Paramraj Singh Umra Nangal said in Chandigarh, "We have arrested AAP MLA Naresh Yadav from his house in Delhi. He will be produced in the Malerkotla court tomorrow."

Nangal said an arrest warrant was procured from a local court to arrest Yadav, who is AAP legislator from Mehrauli.

The MLA was booked under various sections of IPC including 109 (punishment for abatement if the act abetted is committed in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth etc and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 295 injury or defiling place of worship with an intent to insult the religion of any class).

The Punjab police has already questioned the AAP MLA twice in connection with the incident.

The AAP lawmaker was booked following revelations made by one of the accused arrested in the case.

Main accused Vijay Kumar, who claimed he was paid Rs 1 crore by Yadav for the act, recorded his statement last week before a magistrate.

Sangrur police had arrested Kumar, Gaurav and Nand Kishore on charges of desecration of the Quran and said they belonged to VHP.

There was arson in Malerkotla on June 24 night after pages of the holy book were found dumped near a drain. Several vehicles were set on fire and other property was damaged as the situation remained tense on June 25.

The mob also exchanged gunfire with police, leaving several injured.

Yadav earlier claimed that he had nothing to do with the incident.

"I am joining the Punjab Police investigation. I am here to answer all questions," Yadav said, as per IANS.

Another AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan arrested by Delhi police

Meanwhile, another AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan was arrested by Delhi police today in the national capital after a woman alleged he tried to mow her down after she visited his residence to raise the issue of power cuts.

Khan, also the chairman of the Delhi Waqf board, was first detained for questioning and then arrested, a day after he alleged at a press conference the woman was "pressurised" by police into giving a false statement against him.

"On July 22, the woman had recorded her statement before the magistrate under Section 164 of CrPC. She had alleged while she was returning from the legislator's residence, a vehicle tried mowing her down and Amanatullah was sitting in it," said Joint Commissioner of Police, Southeast Range, R P Upadhyay, as per PTI.

Prior to that, she had on July 19 filed a complaint with police alleging that at the AAP MLA's residence in Jamia Nagar, a youth had on July 10 abused her and threatened that she would be killed if she did not stop politicising the matter. An FIR was subsequently registered in this regard. After her statement to the magistrate, Section 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) was added to the FIR, the officer said.

After her statement to the magistrate, Section 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) was added to the FIR, the officer said.

"It is a non-bailable charge and we have arrested Khan," Upadhyay said.

With the latest developments, the number of AAP legislators held by police in different cases has climbed to eleven.

The Arvind Kejriwal party has 67 legislators in the 70-member Delhi Assembly after it swept to power in February 2015.

(With Agency inputs)