Gangrape protests: Delhi police books eight people for constable's murder, Kejriwal says they have been falsely framed

New Delhi, Dec 26: The Delhi Police today invoked murder charges against eight people, including a member of the Aam Aadmi Party, after the death of a constable who was severely beaten up by protesters at India Gate on Sunday.The eight persons were yesterday charged with attempt to murder, rioting and destruction of public property among other sections of IPC.However, following the death constable Subhash Chand Tomar (47), who was battling for his life at the RML Hospital here, this morning, the police decided to slap murder charges against the eight accused.Those named in the FIR are Shankar Bisht, Nand, Shantanu, Kailash Joshi, Amit Joshi, Abhishek, Nafees Ahmad and Chaman, a member of AAP, the police said.All the eight have been booked under sections 302 (murder), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of IPC.They were arrested and released on bail yesterday.Meanwhile, the Aam Admi Party alleged that police has failed to apprehend those actually involved in the incidents of stone-pelting at India Gate.“They have arrested innocent people who were not involved in any such incident just to prove that their actions of lathicharge, tear gas shelling and water cannon use were right. Police have arrested them from places where they were holding peaceful demonstrations,” the party claimed.The constable, who died, was posted in Karawal Nagar area and was called for maintaining law and order at India Gate area during the protests over the gangrape of a 23-year-old girl on December 16.Kejriwal alleged that the youths were “implicated” by the police in the case.“There is not a single proof that the government has and they are only framing these youths. Are they taking some revenge from us?” he alleged.He said the guilty must be punished but if the police do not have any evidence against the eight youths, AAP stands by them.“If any of those eight including AAP worker Chaman are responsible for the death of the constable, we want them to be punished. But if police are framing them, they have no evidence against these eight youths, we'll stand by them,” he said.Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party today alleged that Delhi Police had wrongly implicated eight people in the death of a constable following Sunday violence at India Gate and claimed there was no evidence of their involvement.“Police has no evidence about these people, whom they have arrested from different places and were protesting peacefully for justice to the gang rape victim,” AAP Convenor Kejriwal said.Police are telling lies and trying to mislead the media and the common man by saying that AAP worker Manish Sisodia had given the bail amount which is wrong, he alleged, adding police were “trying to implicate these eight innocent youth to suppress this movement using their power”.Terming the death of the constable as “unfortunate”, Kejriwal said “whosoever is responsible for his death should be punished. Even if an AAP member is involved, punish him but we will not allow innocent people to be implicated.”He said police were trying to portray that the movement became violent due to the involvement of Swami Ramdev, Gen (retd) V K Singh and members of AAP.It is an attempt by the police to justify their action of resorting to lathicharge, tear gas shelling and water cannon use on the peaceful protesters.“There were some rogue element in the demonstration who were pelting stones, empty bottle on police. They can identify them but they have failed to apprehend them who were actually involved in stone-pelting at India Gate,” he said.