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How Somnath Bharti tried to prove his dog's innocence

Written By Azaan Javaid | Updated: Sep 17, 2015, 06:15 PM IST

Bharti's wife Lipika, had alleged that 'Don' had bit her multiple times after being ordered to do so by the former law minister when she was pregnant.

The drama around Aam Aadmi Party leader Somnath Bharti reached its zenith when at 2am on Thursday, Bharti along with his dog named 'Don' arrived at a local police station where the AAP legislator tried to prove the innocence of his pet and indirectly that of himself. 

Bharti's wife Lipika, had alleged that 'Don' had bit her multiple times after being ordered to do so by the former law minister when she was pregnant.

Officials told dna that Bharti, probably in a bid to prove his innocence, 'asked his pet to attack the cops in the police station'. "When the animal did not oblige, Mr Bharti said that both him and Don were innocent. He told officials posted at the station that his pet had never attacked Lipika and if it had really done so, then Don would have repeated the action on hearing the command of his master," said the senior police officer.

Delhi police had asked for custody of Bharti’s pet, stating that the missing dog needed to be recovered as 'it was crucial to the investigation'. The former law minister on Tuesday was provided a reprieve by the Delhi High Court after a lower court issued a Non Bailable Warrant against him in a case of domestic violence filed against him by his wife Lipika Mitra.

Hours after the High Court order, Bharti, accompanied by two of his associates and his pet dog, arrived at the station in his vehicle to 'surrender' before the police. Officials posted at the station said that Bharti's visit was nothing less than bizarre

Earlier, Don was traced at one of the offices of the AAP legislator, but there wasn't much that the police could do after the High Court order, which had stayed Bharti's arrest till Thursday.

"We have conducted searches at Bharti’s residence and at his office. However, we have not been able to find him (Don). We have to recover him. Bharti knows where he is. The dog’s denture marks will prove how the accused incited the dog to attack the victim when she was pregnant,” special public prosecutor Shailender Babbar had argued. Bharti’s counsel Vijay Agarwal countered that he could not understand how the police planned to interrogate the dog or record its statement.

While Bharti's counsel continued to defend his client and the pet, cops at the police station where Don had arrived on Thursday, hesitated  to make sudden moves on account of the accusation that the pet faces. 

"However, we found that the dog is overweight. It slept here at the station as well, and it appears that the pet might be quite lazy," said another police official. He added that from Lipika's complaint it was being perceived that the dog would be ferocious. "There is a possibility that the dog might have been trained to behave," said a police official.

Don was not the only issue that cops at the local police station faced early on Thursday morning. "Mr Bharti said that he wanted to join the probe, but the investigating officer was not present. There were TV crews here and Mr Bharti roamed around the station premises before leaving for home. As the matter is in court, there wasn't much we could have done," the official said. "He also asked to meet senior officials," he added.

The whole episode seems to have puzzled senior officers of the Delhi Police. DCP (southwest) RA Sanjeev, told dna that he "did not wish to comment on what Mr Bharti had done at the police station'.

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