AAP leader Hardeep Singh still evades arrest

SANGRUR: AAP’s activist Hardeep Singh, who was booked for attempt to rape, continued to evade arrest by the Moonak police. Seven police teams had been pressed into service for tracing him.
The police during a search operation of his home and shop in the village led to the surfacing of his pictures with top leaders of AAP. He was shown close to AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal and senior leaders including Sanjay Singh, Bhagwant Mann, Durgesh and others.
Police sources told TOI that AAPs top functionaries stayed with him at his residence when they were on tour of the area.
Hardeep was heading a cluster of villages in the Moonak sub-division of Sangrur district. He was the chief of one such unit amongst numerous clusters in the state.
The 15 year old dalit girl in question appeared before a judge yesterday and got her statement recorded under section 164 of criminal procedure code. She accused Hardeep Singh of attempting to disrobe her with intention to rape . But, timely intervention of the villagers saved her.
The incident occurred in the dark room of a photo studio run by Hardeep. She had alongwith her younger sister gone to get herself photographed. The younger sister had raised an alarm on hearing shrieks from the dark room.
Moonak DSP Akashdeep Singh Aulakh told TOI that police were raiding houses of Hardeep’s friends and relatives. But till now could not arrest him adding that the accused would be definitely arrested within next few days.
On the other hand AAP was conducting independent investigation into the matter. The party did not believe in police story as propounded by the FIR. It was of the view that the police was likely to be influenced by political pressure. The party would come out with the “truth” in a day or so, sources disclosed.