Midnight raid: Court directs FIR against Somnath Bharti

NEW DELHI: A city court has ordered registration of FIR against unknown persons in connection with the midnight raid against African women by a group after Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti accused the foreign nationals of being involved in drugs and prostitution.

Metropolitan Magistrate Chetna Singh directed that video footage of the incident in south Delhi last week be shown to the foreign nationals for identification.

The FIR will be filed against those identified by the foreign nationals, the magistrate told PTI.

Television footage on news channels had shown Bharti asking police officers to conduct the raid, saying he had received complaints of drugs and prostitution racket in that area.

The women have in their complaint said that they were assaulted by the group which had barged into their house.

Rakesh Sherawat, lawyer for the women, said the minister and his associates were involved in the incident. He said the women can identify the persons through video footage and newspaper clippings.

The court has ordered the registration of FIR against the persons under sections 451 (house trespass), 427 (mischief), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of IPC.

The women - two Nigerians and two Ugandans - had approached the court yesterday with the application seeking registration of FIR before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vivek Golia, who refused to accept the application and directed them to approach the police for the same.

The magistrate told them that in case police turns down their request, they can file an appropriate application before this court.