Fresh troubles for Amanatullah just two days after emphatic win

Fresh trouble has emerged for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan, newly re-elected from Okhla. Just two days after his convincing third consecutive win, Khan is back in the news for the wrong reasons. A team from the Delhi Police Crime Branch raided Batla House today to capture a fugitive. During the operation, they detained an individual charged with attempted murder, according to a national news portal.

The situation escalated when some local residents obstructed the police action, with reports indicating that some of these individuals were supporters of Amanatullah Khan, as stated by a national Hindi news portal.

On Monday, the Delhi Police registered an FIR against Khan for allegedly leading an attack on a police team in Jamia Nagar, an official told PTI.

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The police claim that Khan helped a proclaimed offender, an accused in an attempted murder case, escape custody during the operation. After the incident, the police launched an investigation and immediately received a PCR call.

Authorities say Khan was present at the scene and obstructed the police operation, which allowed the accused to flee. Khan had been granted bail in November 2023 after being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case.

Earlier, a Delhi Police team arrived at Khan’s residence. In a video shared by ANI, police were seen outside his home. Khan’s aide spoke to ANI, stating: “We don’t know what this is about. We were at the office when the police arrived. They asked us to open the door for a check, which we facilitated. There is nothing inside, and they are leaving now. They haven’t disclosed the reason for the visit.”

Khan’s associates declined to comment further. A reporter said he was prevented from filming the area by a YouTuber who intervened when he tried speaking with local residents. The YouTuber, appears to be siding with the MLA, criticised the reporter, saying: “The standard of journalism has come down.” The reporter expressed confusion over why the YouTuber was stopping him from taking videos or gathering residents’ responses.

However, a member of Khan’s team, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the OT that Amanatullah received a call informing him that people in civilian clothes had detained someone. Khan went to the scene with his supporters and was told that the case was from 2018. He instructed them to bring in the local police, during which time the accused managed to escape, he said. The individual later surrendered to the police, and a case was filed against Khan, he said.

In an official statement, the Crime Branch said no one was injured during the ruckus and that more details of the case would be shared. A search for Shahbaaz is on, police said, reported IE. “The accused (Amanatullah Khan) will be questioned…,” said one officer as reported by IE.

A Delhi Police team arrived at AAP MLA Khan’s residence in Okhla to arrest him, but found that he was not at home. The officers conducted a search inside the house to confirm his absence. After verifying he wasn’t there, the police left the MLA’s home. The search for Khan is still ongoing, reported India TV news.

Amanatullah Khan had secured a decisive victory in the Okhla constituency on Saturday, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Manish Chaudhary by a margin of 23,639 votes. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) candidate Shifa Ur Rehman placed third with 39,558 votes. Rehman has been jailed for his alleged involvement in a larger conspiracy in the 2020 Delhi riots. Congress candidate Ariba Khan came fourth with over 12,000 votes. Khan received 88,943 votes, while BJP and AIMIM candidates garnered 65,304 and 39,558 votes, respectively.