Punjab Police questions AAP MLA over scripture 'desecration'

Patiala: Punjab Police Tuesday questioned AAP MLA Naresh Yadav for over five hours in connection with a case of alleged desecration of a scripture at Malerkotla here on June 24.

The police claimed Yadav "could not answer some questions" and he will be asked to join the investigation again.

"We asked several questions to him (Yadav). He answered some questions but he also failed to answers some. We shall soon ask him to appear again for questioning," Sangrur SSP Pritpal Singh Thind said while addressing media here.

Thind said Yadav was asked 100 questions. "But he could answer 35 questions," the SSP claimed, adding he was also asked to reply on calls shared with the accused Vijay Kumar.

Yadav was also confronted with the accused during questioning who had claimed he "did (it) at his behest."

Police have decided to hold lie detector test on Vijay and two others on July 7.

Yadav, the Mehrauli MLA, was grilled for about five hours by police officers of Sangrur and Patiala districts. He appeared before the police in Patiala at 11am and came out from the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) office at around 4.15 p.M.

Coming out of the CIA office, Yadav said he was satisfied by the investigation and alleged he was being framed and termed it a "political conspiracy".

Replying to AAP's allegations that the case against its MLA was a political vendetta, the SSP said there was no such thing. "Fair and impartial investigation will be conducted," he said.

Asked about possible custodial integration of Yadav, the SSP said if need arises they will go for it.

Later, senior AAP leader and Punjab incharge Sanjay Singh accused the SAD-BJP government of framing Yadav under a "well hatched conspiracy" to defame the party.

"Yadav replied to all questions asked by the police. If he is asked to again appear, he will join the investigation," Singh said.

Singh said Yadav had "nothing to do" with the Malerkotla incident and he is cooperating in the investigation.