Delhi Police at Rahul door, Cong says it’s ‘vendetta… ploy to distract from Adani’

“We couldn’t question him today. We met him and will record his statement later. He wasn’t ready today,” said Hooda. Police sources said Rahul asked for 8-10 days’ time, saying he wanted to compile all the information before sending it.

Later in the evening, he sent a preliminary reply to the police notice. Citing sources, a PTI report said Rahul, in his 10-point reply, has not replied on the substance but on the process and procedure adopted by the police in the case. He termed the police action “unprecedented” and asked whether this had anything to do with his position taken both inside and outside Parliament on the Adani issue, the report said.

“He has sent a preliminary reply asking for more time. A detailed reply will be sent to the police soon. We have questioned why the police took 45 days to send this notice? Are they doing this because of the remarks made against Adani? We will help them with the investigation in any case,” a Congress spokesperson said.

Earlier, after the police team reached Rahul’s doorstep, senior party leaders Jairam Ramesh, Abhishek Singhvi, Pawan Khera and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot addressed a press conference. The party said the attempt to “intimidate” Rahul “smacks of political vendetta” and alleged a “ploy to distract” attention from the Adani issue.

Singhvi said the police, in its notice on March 16, had sought details about women who had complained to Rahul about domestic violence, molestation and harassment. “On March 16, the police team went back satisfied, after being told that such details will take a minimum of seven to 10 days… And there was no protest on that time period. Therefore, we were even more astonished when two days later, the same police team, with some additional persons, landed up again with similar questions and similar questionnaire,” he said.

Singhvi said the notice of the Delhi Police, “which appears to suffer from a complete lack of jurisdiction”, pertains to a speech made by Rahul in Srinagar on January 30, the last day of his Bharat Jodo Yatra.

In his speech, Rahul had said: “When I was walking, there were many women who were crying…There were many among them who told me they have been raped, molested. Few said they were molested by their relatives. When I asked them if I should tell the police, they told me not to. They said they wanted me to know… not to tell the police. They said they will face more problems. This is our country’s reality.”

Gehlot alleged that the police was working at the behest of the top BJP leadership, “with a signal from (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah”. He said Rahul had shared what he picked up during the yatra in the “interest of the nation”. “The act of the police reminds me of the time of Indira Gandhi when the Janata Party had come to power and acted in a similar fashion. But the people retaliated and Indira returned to power in 1980. What happened today is not ordinary. Let us remember that Hitler was also very popular initially, and what the people of Germany faced later,” he said.

“No matter what the Chief Justice of India says, everyone knows the judiciary, including the High Courts and above, are under pressure,” said Gehlot.

“The way they are behaving is not possible without a signal from the top. Without the orders of Amit Shah and the Ministry of Home Affairs, the police would not dare do this,” said Gehlot, adding that the BJP was setting a “bad precedent which will ultimately haunt them”.

“Today, if a union minister visiting Rajasthan makes certain allegations against the state government on the law and order front, on women safety, rapes, will the Rajasthan Police book them?” he asked.

Jairam Ramesh said the “middle path” advocated by Shah to break the parliamentary impasse was “impossible” as long as the “politics of threats, revenge and harassment continue”. “This is a deliberate strategy to distract the attention of the people from the Adani scam. This strategy has been adopted by the Modi government ever since 16 Opposition parties have raised the demand to set up a Joint Parliamentary Committee, ever since Rahul spoke for about 50 minutes in Lok Sabha on Adani scam. They are twisting his remarks in Cambridge, London and not allowing him to speak despite approaching the Speaker,” he said.

Terming the notice as “bizarre”, Singhvi said no political leader leading a campaign would be expected to stop instantly and seek legal recourse on the basis of interactions and complaints from people. “That is why we are very clear that this smacks of the worst kind of political vendetta harassment. The politics of threat intimidation… But this plumbs the depths of pettiness, even by the dismal and abysmal standards of this vindictive government,” he said.

Khera alleged that the police tried to stop him when he was entering the lane leading to Rahul’s residence. “When I questioned them under what rule, they relented. But what is happening in this country? Is there an Emergency or curfew? Their intention is to intimidate us, but we will not get intimidated,” he said.

Countering the Congress’s charges, the BJP said the Delhi Police was only discharging its lawful duty. Party spokesperson Sambit Patra said police should have information about such incidents. “Rahul Gandhi had claimed that he met women, who told him that they were raped and molested, but didn’t get justice. Delhi Police has been asking for details but Rahul wouldn’t tell. Assuming he didn’t lie then, it shows his feeble commitment towards ensuring justice,” tweeted Amit Malviya, the party’s IT department head.

Meanwhile, speaking to the media, Special Commissioner of Police Hooda said: “A part of the Bharat Jodo Yatra was also in Delhi. I was part of the security forces present. Since Rahul mentioned rape and molestation, we thought we should take legal action and help the victims. We conducted a preliminary enquiry but nothing came up. That was the time he was in the UK. We waited for him to return and then approached him twice to help us with the matter. Today is the third time we contacted him but we have not got any response yet. Today, he said he needs time. We just don’t want to lose evidence in this case… don’t want the victims to undergo further abuse”.