Police officer says he left before murder

V.N. Singh added: “What I have come to know is that Dadwal was there in his private capacity. There is no question of any action against him on this basis. But, positively, we will talk to him.”

About his presence at the Tamarind Court in Qutab Colonnade on Thursday night, Dadwal told Express Newsline: “I had gone there along with my family and friends around 11.45 p.m. and left 20 minutes later. And I was not anyone’s guest.”

Dadwal, who lives in Chanakypuri, adds: “We just wanted to grab a bite and we had heard about Bina Ramani’s restaurant. I had never visited the place earlier. So I told my friends we should try it out. But when we reached the restaurant we found that there was a huge crowd there. We left 20 minutes later, without eating or drinking anything.”

He also claims he has never met Bina Ramani, and was certainly not in the restaurant when Manu Sharma shot dead Jessica Lal. “It happened long after we left,” says Dadwal, who agrees that he went to Qutab Colonnade in his official car, accompanied by his wireless operator and personal security officer.

About the allegation that despite being a senior officer he visited an illegal bar, Dadwal said: “One does not usually check when one goes out, whether the restaurant has an illegal power connection, bar or any other similar thing”.