‘Apologise’: BJP trains gun on Congress, Mamata day after Delhi court’s verdict in Batla House encounter case
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the opposition parties for questioning the Delhi Police over 2008 Batla House encounter. Addressing the media here, party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad hailed a Delhi court's verdict in a case related to the 2008 Batla House encounter.
Earlier on Monday, a Delhi court convicted Ariz Khan, associated with the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, for the murder of decorated Delhi police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma in a case related to 2008 Batla House encounter which was questioned by certain political parties and leaders.
"In the matter of security of the country and the fight of terrorism, the parties of the Congress and the opposition stood in favor of the terrorists and questioned the police’s action in the horrific terror attack in Delhi," he said. "The court has held Ariz Khan guilty in yesterday's verdict," Prasad added.
"Why is the Congress, Mamata Didi and all those who questioned the Batla House encounter silent now after the court's verdict in this case?” Prasad asked. "Will Sonia Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee apologise for misleading the entire nation over the Batla House encounter case,'' the Union Minister asked.
"BJP demands that a proper enquiry over the sustained campaign against the Delhi Police by vested political interest," he said.
Prasad said that many from the Delhi Police then approached "us indirectly to save us". He said that cops said "there is a campaign to call us the attackers. In such a situation, what should we do to protect the country".
“There was conscious, deliberate and consistent attempt to cast serious doubt over the authenticity of Batla House incident designed to weaken the morale of Delhi Police and give clear support to terrorist and their design for pure vote bank politics,” he said. “You might have listened to Salman Khurshid say that Sonia Gandhi had tears in her eyes when she got to know that two terrorists have been killed.”
He said that the Batal House scandal was made a national issue by Samajwadi Party, BSP, Congress Party, Left Party and Mamta Banerjee. "Will the fight for terrorism be weakened in this way for votes?" he asked.
Prasaid said that when the court has convicted Ariz Khan, associated with the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, "will all these parties apologize in front of the people of country?"
The verdict assumes importance as Congress leader Digvijaya Singh had voiced his doubts over the police claims about the encounter and Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party had also demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter.
The court will hear arguments on the quantum of sentence on March 15. Ariz Khan faces a maximum punishment of death penalty while the minimum sentence for murder is life imprisonment. He was arrested on February 14, 2018, after a decade being on run.
READ MORE: Batla House encounter: IM terrorist Ariz Khan convicted of Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma's killing
