New Delhi: Delhi Police on Saturday registered a case against a School Management Committee coordinator for allegedly pasting a poster saying 'I Love Manish Sisodia' in support of former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who was arrested in a corruption case pertaining to the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22, at the main gate of a government school in Delhi.
According to PTI, on Friday morning, SMC coordinator Gazala, in connivance with the principal of Sarvodaya Kanya Vidayalaya in Shastri Park, asked the girl students to arrange some desks at the school entrance and pasted a large poster of Sisodia at the main gate, the FIR stated. Sisodia, who had 18 portfolios in the Delhi government, including education, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation on Sunday. He resigned from the Cabinet on Tuesday.
The local residents protested when the banner was being put up on Friday morning, following which they lodged a complaint with the police, as reported by the news agency ANI. Diwakar Pandey, a local resident lodged the complaint for which the Delhi Police has registered a case under Section 3 of the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act in Shastri Park Police Station.
While talking to ANI, the complainant, Diwakar Pandey, said, "On March 3, between 8-8.30 am, some Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers were putting up a banner above the gate of the government school in Shastri Park. First, they took out a desk from the school. Brought it outside and climbed on it and started putting a poster of 'I love Manish Sisodia' on the gate, to which people objected and said that this is a temple of education, keep it away from politics."
"We even asked them if they had permission. They claimed to be related to MLA Abdul Rehman. After this, a person contacted the MLA and asked him if he had given permission and the MLA replied with a yes. We know the MLA is lying as such permission is never given for a school to be used for some political gains." Pandey added. The complainant stated that the banner was removed after the people protested, ANI reported. He said, "The problem is that children were made to write 'I love Manish Sisodia'. Our culture does not allow all these things."
"They are trying to brainwash the children. We asked the principal, but he failed to recognize the seriousness of the matter, after which I lodged a complaint. The police have registered a case taking cognizance and assured that the culprits will be punished," he added. While talking to ANI, a local resident Durgesh Tiwari said, "Some AAP workers had come here and put the 'I Love Sisodia' banner on the gate and called the children who were coming to school to sit near the gate."
"I confronted them and said what they were doing was not right. To this, the workers replied that what the government is doing is not right and our education minister has been sent to jail. They said that the children are registering their sympathy towards him," Tiwari added.
Expressing displeasure over the incident, Tiwari said, "Children are defending alcohol accused, how far is that right? These people are forcing the child and the principal of the school to get such activities done. In the same school, religious activity was conducted by these representatives. However, no action was taken," as quoted by ANI.
Earlier on Thursday, the Bharatiya Janata Party claimed that the Delhi government had set up "I love Manish Sisodia" desks in state-run schools to rally support for the arrested leader, a charge denied by the AAP dispensation. A case was registered against Gazala under section 3 of the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Public Property Act, police said, PTI reported.
According to the FIR, the principal is in-charge of the school and provided the desks. A Delhi court on Saturday extended by two days the CBI custody of Sisodia and directed the central probe agency to produce him on Monday.
Nine opposition leaders including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the arrest of former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia in the excise policy case, as reported by the news agency ANI. In the letter to PM Modi, the opposition leaders have stated that the action appears to suggest that "we have transitioned from being a democracy to an autocracy".
The Anti-Corruption Branch of the CBI is questioning Sisodia in the alleged case. A special CBI court on Saturday extended the custody of Sisodia till March 6.
The CBI booked him under IPC sections 120-B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) and 477A (falsification of accounts) and provisions of the Prevention Of Corruption Act including Section 7 (taking undue advantage to influence a public servant by corrupt or illegal means or by the exercise of personal influence), reported PTI.