New Delhi: The Delhi police has claimed that Kapil Baisala, who opened fired at the Shaheen Bagh protest site last week, is a member of the Aam Aadmi Party. The shooter’s family, however, has denied this claim.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has used the police’s claim to say Arvind Kejriwal is playing with the country’s security. AAP has responded by saying that the BJP is using the Delhi police (which comes under the Centre’s control) to play “dirty politics”.

Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh asked on whose directions was the Delhi Police accusing his party. “Before the police revealed it (Baisala being an AAP member), how did BJP’s Delhi president Manoj Tiwari come to know about it?” Singh asked.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Rajesh Deo said that Baisala and his father joined the AAP in early 2019. Baisala’s family, however, refuted the police’s claim.

Kapil Baisala’s 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. My brother, Gaje Singh, (Baisala’s father) fought assembly elections in 2008 on a Bahujan Samaj Party ticket and lost. After that no one from our family had any links with any political party.”

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

Also read: Weaponising Shaheen Bagh, the BJP’s Last Resort

Gaje had also contested the 2012 civic body polls from the BSP, the police said.

In the past, the BJP has accused AAP of supporting the Shaheen Bagh protestors and egging them on.

The police officer said they seized Baisala’s mobile phone and retrieved WhatsApp data. Sources told both PTI and ANI that AAP-related photos, which the shooter had deleted, were recovered from the phone.

Sources: Kapil can be seen joining the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), a year ago in the pictures that have been recovered from his phone. Kapil had joined AAP along with his father and several others. https://t.co/8G84bkRyiJ pic.twitter.com/9QJLhulkT3 — ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2020

The shooting

On Saturday, Baisala fired two rounds in air at Shaheen Bagh. According to eyewitnesses, the man shouted “Hindu rashtra zindabad” and fired two rounds. He was overpowered by the police and later arrested.

The police said on Thursday, Baisala, along with his friend Sarthak Larolla, went to Shaheen Bagh from his village on a bike. Through CCTV footage, it was found they took the DND flyover, Maharani Bagh, Sarai Jullena and reached Holy Family hospital, a senior police officer said.

“Baisala was not comfortable on the bike as he had hidden the pistol near his waist. They entered the hospital’s parking where he adjusted the pistol, used the washroom and headed towards Shaheen Bagh,” the senior official added.

When they reached the protest site, Larolla left the spot with the motorcycle and Baisala’s mobile phone. Later, Baisala fired two rounds in the air and was apprehended. The weapon was recovered from near the spot, the police said.

Larolla joined the investigation and the mobile phone was seized from his residence.

Baisala has been remanded to police remand for two days.

He had bought the pistol around seven years ago for his brother’s marriage. The source of the weapon from where he procured it is yet to identified, police said.

(With PTI inputs)