Sambit Patra accuses Somnath Bharti of influencing probe in land grab case

New Delhi: BJP's national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Sunday accused AAP MLA Somnath Bharti of influencing the probe in a case of land grabbing in south Delhi, a charge refuted by the legislator.

The AAP MLA hit back and alleged the involvement of a BJP MP in the land-grabbing case.

Addressing a press conference at the Delhi BJP office, Patra played a purported audio clip of Bharti, claiming that the AAP MLA from Malviya Nagar pressurised an investigating officer to give a slip to an accused and destroy evidence against him in return for a bribe.

A case of land grabbing was registered in the Jaitpur area on November 10, 2023, in which a chargesheet was also filed, Patra said. The accused was a close aide of the AAP MLA who tried to save him, he added.

A video of Bharti meeting the investigating officer is also available, which the BJP will post on its social media platforms, Patra claimed. The party is also mulling to take legal recourse in the matter, he added.

Bharti, in a post on X, said while campaigning in his constituency for the February 5 Delhi polls, he learnt about the BJP "dragging" his name in the land-grabbing case.

He asserted that he had gone to Delhi High Court pro bono and got a stay in the favour of the aggrieved party.