Suraj Pal Amu charged, faces grilling by WB cops for Didi remarks

GURUGRAM: Police on Sunday slapped charges against

Suraj Pal Amu

in their FIR against the Sena’s violence on January 24. They had already put the Gurugram Karni Sena leader in Bhondsi jail under preventive detention. They also arrested five more people in connection with last Wednesday’s city-wide violence.

According to a police spokesperson, the probe in the case registered at Bhondsi police station, about the torching of a Haryana roadways bus and attack on a school bus, has revealed that Amu, a former Haryana BJP leader, was complicit in instigating the violence in several speeches he made on TV and in public. A police spokesperson told TOI Amu has been charged under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC.

But Amu’s problems don’t end here. During a speech in November, Amu had likened West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to Surpanakha, a character in the epic Ramayana, implying her nose will be cut off if she invited Padmaavat-director Sanjay Leela Bhansali to her state. Sources confirmed that West Bengal Police could take Amu on production warrant after he is taken on remand by Gurugram police on Monday, in connection with the Bhondsi case.

Police on Sunday made five more arrests in connection with the violence on Palwal-Gurugram road near Sohna and Begampur Khatola last Wednesday, on the day the film’s première show. Harinder alias Tinku, the Karni Sena president of Rewari, was arrested from Kurthala in Nuh along with a Lakhan alias Kalu, by the special investigation team (SIT) led by DCP (south) Ashok Bakshi set up by Gurugram police. Lalit alias Gaurav, a resident of Begampur Khatola, was also arrested in connection with the violence in the same village, when a road was blocked and tyres burnt while prohibitory orders were imposed across the city.

Late on Sunday evening, Begampur Khatola resident Rohit alias Kobra also surrendered at Sadar police station. He is accused of being part of the mob that broke window and display glasses at Raheja mall on Sohna road last Wednesday, before the film’s release. A second person, Roshan, was arrested on Sunday evening fromNarsingpur, in connection with Raheja mall violence.

They are in addition to the five youths who were arrested from Mewat on Saturday, for blocking the road and burning tyres. With these, the total number of arrests now stands at 33. A further 14 have been picked up under preventive detention, taking the total number of people in police/judicial custody to 47.

The SIT was set up on Saturday to probe last Wednesday’s violence, in which a Haryana Roadways bus was torched, cops were attacked, and a school bus was pelted with stones. The violent protests were fuelled by the Sena, which took out a large demonstration on Gurugram’s streets a week ago, before following with Wednesday’s violence.