By Online Desk

NEW DELHI: The Crime Branch of Delhi Police on Tuesday revealed that Kapil Gujjar, the man detained for opening fire on February 1 at Shaheen Bagh is associated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) based on photographs recovered from his phone in which Gurjar and his father are seen along with prominent leaders of the party.

DCP (Crime Branch) Rajesh Deo said his mobile phone has been seized and they have retrieved his WhatsApp data and photos of him and his father joining the party.

The photos recovered from phone of Kapil show him and his father Gaje Singh with AAP leaders such as Atishi and Sanjay Singh and are allegedly from 2019 on the day when the father-son duo joined AAP.

Sources: The Crime Branch has found certain pictures on the mobile phone of Kapil Gujjar, who opened fire in Shaheen Bagh area on February 1. In these pictures, Kapil can be seen with AAP leaders such as Atishi and Sanjay Singh. pic.twitter.com/BKXifhTE7K — ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2020

Confirming that the photos were recovered from Kapil's phone, DCP Crime Branch, Delhi Police, Rajesh Deo said today, "We recovered the pictures from his phone during the course of the investigation. Kapil has confessed that he and his father joined AAP somewhere between January-February 2019."

Hitting out at the AAP, BJP president J P Nadda accused Kejriwal of playing with the security of the country and said that people will give the AAP a befitting reply.

"I want to make clear to Kejriwal that this country is bigger than any election, any government, and the country will not forgive those who play with its security. The people of Delhi will give a befitting reply," Nadda tweeted.

Nadda said he wanted to make it clear to Kejriwal that this country is bigger than any election, any government, and "this nation will not forgive those who play with its security.

Kejriwal and his entire team have been exposed.

The people of Delhi will give a befitting reply".

He claimed the entire country has seen "photos of Imam Hussain, the MLA and former minister of the Delhi government, with a radical terrorist organisation, PFI".

Days before Delhi goes to polls, police claimed that Baisala is a member of the Aam Aadmi Party.

They said Baisala joined the party in early 2019 along with his father.

Police said it had photos of Baisala purportedly joining AAP along with his father Gaje Singh last year.

AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh alleged that photos which were part of the investigation were leaked to the BJP.

He also said the party will approach the Election Commission to raise this issue, which has cropped up four days before the polling date.

"On whose instance, the police is giving statement? How did the photos which were part of the investigation reach the BJP? Before the news came out, Manoj Tiwari in the morning stated that the accused was from AAP. How did Manoj Tiwari get this news," Singh questioned in a press conference.

Union minister and BJP's in-charge for the Delhi polls, Prakash Javadekar, in a press conference alleged that "their (AAP's) designs are very clear from the beginning and they are trying every trick".

The whole conspiracy of AAP is to "divide society, cause fear in a community and create a vote bank," he charged.

Javadekar also claimed that photos of Baisala were recovered by police from his mobile phone although they were erased.

He also claimed that Baisala and his father were welcomed by Sanjay Singh at their joining of AAP.

"This proves AAP misleads youth and pushes them on the wrong path. AAP's strategy is to divide two communities, they want to instigate riots in Delhi," Javadekar alleged.

He further alleged that AAP leader Sanjay Singh had said violence would take place in Delhi.

Their "conspiracy has been exposed by Delhi Police," he claimed.

"We condemn this politics of AAP," he said.

Javadekar also claimed this was "not an isolated incident" as AAP member Amanatullah Khan made a "very provocative speech" and the party supported Shaheen Bagh and did not give permission for the prosecution of members of the "tukde-tukde gang".

He hinted the BJP could approach the Election Commission against AAP over the issue.

Kapil's family, however, refuted the police's claim.

His uncle Fatesh Singh told PTI, "I have no idea where these photographs are circulating from. My nephew Kapil had no association with any political party nor does any other member from the family is. My brother Gaje Singh, (Kapil's father) fought assembly elections in 2008 for Bahujan Samaj Party and lost. After that no one from our family had any links with any political party".

Singh added that Kapil also doesn't have any friends associated with the AAP or any other political party.

Kapil, according to the official, had told the Crime Branch that he had brought the pistol almost seven years ago for celebratory firing during his brother's wedding.

Earlier today, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Gurmohina Kaur sent Kapil, who is a resident of Dallupura village near Delhi-Noida border, to two-day police custody.

Kapil was detained by police on Saturday following the firing incident and an FIR was registered against him. He had, on February 1, opened fire in the air at Shaheen Bagh, where protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) are going on for over 50 days.

(With agency inputs)