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Regular-article-logo Tuesday, 07 May 2024

AAP seeks ‘abettor’ tag on Thakur

Several political parties also filed complaints against the BJP MP

Our Special Correspondent New Delhi Published 31.01.20, 08:30 PM
Farooq being taken to a hospital on Thursday.

Farooq being taken to a hospital on Thursday. (PTI)

Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party on Friday urged police commissioner Amulya Patnaik to include Union minister Anurag Thakur as “conspirator and abettor” in the FIR on Thursday’s firing on a Jamia Millia Islamia student.

The Congress student and youth wings, the National Students Union of India and the Indian Youth Congress, also filed complaints against Thakur while the CPM, which had already done so, sought action.

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A self-proclaimed Rambhakt shot and injured a Jamia student during a protest march, days after Thakur had led a BJP rally in chanting “Shoot the traitors”.

Hours before the shooting, the Election Commission had barred Thakur from campaigning for the Delhi polls for 72 hours.

The complaint from the AAP, which had been silent on BJP campaigners’ hate speeches so far, said: “We are afraid that the incident is just the tip of a bigger conspiracy of creating a law-and-order problem to subvert the coming Delhi election. Prima facie, it appears that this firing incident has occurred at the behest of Shri Anurag Thakur.”

The CPM, which had earlier lodged a complaint against Thakur and fellow BJP parliamentarian Parvesh Verma — who is barred from campaigning for 96 hours — wrote to Patnaik again on Friday seeking action.

“The direct result of your inaction was seen yesterday when an armed man shot directly at Jamia students, in full view of the Delhi police personnel who acted as spectators,” it said.

“This terrorist act is directly attributable to the instigation by the leaders mentioned above through their statement for which they must be held responsible and charged under law.”

Jamia’s alumni association too had urged the police on Thursday to name in the firing case those BJP politicians whom the poll panel has punished for their incendiary statements.

Students held a nightlong protest opposite the old police headquarters before the police got them to leave on Friday morning.

Shooting victim Shadab Farooq, who had a pellet removed surgically from his left arm on Thursday evening, was discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Friday. He is in the care of his family, who have come down from Jammu.

His fellow mass communication student Hashmat Naiyareen told The Telegraph that Farooq was a genuinely helpful person and perhaps that’s why he had spontaneously walked towards the gunman and motioned him to lower his weapon, exposing himself to danger.

“It is even sadder that he was shot, although we are thankful he wasn’t hit in a more critical spot. He loves playing the drums and would always give us the beat when we rehearsed for street plays,” she said.

A classmate of Farooq, Nawa Fatima, said: “He’s brave, yes, but he’s not one of those activist-type people. He is the one who’d make sure that people didn’t incite violence of any kind. He may have been doing the same thing yesterday when he was shot at.”

Fatima said Farooq was a gifted photographer who followed Raghu Rai’s work. For a while, he may be unable to hold a camera.

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