AAP's Narela MLA charged with abetting suicide

NEW DELHI: AAP's Narela MLA Sharad Chauhan and seven others, including a Delhi Police officer, have been chargesheeted for abetting the suicide of a woman AAP worker who was also allegedly harassed by them. The 68-page document filed at Karkardooma court cites 66 witnesses.

Police have included WhatsApp messages and intercepted calls as evidence apart from the contents of a WhatsApp group and a video that's been considered a dying declaration. More specifically , it was a WhatsApp message by the woman in which she said, "I have been falsely implicated by the men and the MLA. I have lost in my struggle for truth."

The police would also file a supplementary chargesheet at a sessions court later.

The woman had lodged an FIR on June 2 this year in which she had alleged that Ramesh Bhardwaj had asked for sexual favours if she wanted to rise in the party. He was arrested but was released on bail immediately. Her ordeal started after that, said her family members.

On July 18, she committed suicide. And the same day, the then investigating officer, ASI Mukhtiyar Singh was suspended for questionable conduct. He had allegedly allo wed Ramesh bail and didn't record the phone threats he had made.

Then MLA Chauhan, his personal assistants, a historysheeter and ASI Singh were arrested by the crime branch.Joint CP (crime) Ravindra Yadav had called Chauhan the mastermind of the crime.

According to the police, the MLA had played a crucial role in torturing the woman by sending masked men to her as well as letters threatening to kill her daughter and tarnishing her image. But Chauhan then deleted all data from his phone.

The victim was forced into a physical relationship with the main accused, Ramesh, and then pressured to end her life, police officers said. The two personal assistants of the legislator, Amit Bhardwaj and Rajnikanth, played a crucial role in abetting the suicide, police said.