In a fresh twist to the case pertaining to the attack on AMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi in Meerut earlier this month, a Minister of State in the Yogi Adityanath government Sunil Bharala visited the village of the alleged mastermind, Sachin Sharma, on Tuesday and offered support to his family.
Talking to reporters in Greater Noida, Mr. Bharala, who is a member of the committee formed by BJP’s U.P. poll in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, demanded an independent inquiry in the case as he felt the role of Sharma and another accused Shubham was not clear.
Gunshots were fired at Mr. Owaisi’s vehicle at a Hapur toll booth on February 3. The police later arrested the two accused on the basis of the CCTV footage of the incident.
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Mr. Bharala, who hails from Meerut, said the family had expressed doubts about the police investigation as they felt the two accused were not present at the spot. He said Parshuram Swabhinman Sena, a Brahmin body, would stand by the family as long as a “neutral investigation” is done. Mr. Bharala also took on Mr. Owaisi for making his speeches.
The Minister voicing doubts over the police investigation has raised several eyebrows. Local sources felt it could be part of the BJP’s strategy to win the support of Brahmins, who are said to be miffed with the government, as the election moved towards the central and eastern parts of the State.
‘Scientific evidence’
Sources in Hapur Police said they had scientific evidence against the accused. “Apart from the CCTV footage, their mobile chats make it amply clear that Sachin [Sharma] plotted the incident to make a statement.”
A senior official said the investigation had revealed that no organisation was behind the attack.
“Sachin [Sharma] procured the pistol used in the incident from a village in the Kithor area of Meerut that is notorious for illegal arms... He followed Mr. Owaisi through the day in Meerut but could not get an opportunity. During interrogation, he revealed that he knew that he was under CCTV cameras but wanted to be in news by attacking Mr. Owaisi as he was hurt by his statements.”
