FIR against Somnath Bharti over domestic violence complaint

Delhi Police have registered an FIR against AAP MLA Somnath Bharti three months after his wife Lipika Mitra filed a case of domestic violence against him, levelling serious charges including that of "unleashing" dogs on her when she was pregnant.
With trouble mounting, the Malviya Nagar MLA refused to comment on the development saying he had not seen the copy of the FIR while Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) attributed it as a tactic to "deviate attention" on the part of Delhi Police.
"The FIR was registered yesterday at Dwarka North police station under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 498(a)(cruelty towards partner in marriage), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC," Joint Commissioner of Police (South-West) Dependra Pathak said.

Following the registration of FIR, a Delhi court recorded the statement of Lipika before Metropolitan Magistrate Manu Goel Kharb in-chamber under Section 164 of CrPC.
"This is nothing but an attempt to deviate attention from the Seemapuri case as the timing of the FIR is questionable. The police has arrested three of our MLAs until now with malafide intention. So, let them do what they want," senior AAP leader Ashutosh said.
Police had earlier arrested former Delhi Law Minister and Tri Nagar MLA Jitender Singh Tomar, Kondli MLA Manoj Kumar and Delhi Cantt MLA Surinder Singh in three separate cases. All the three legislators are out on bail.

The latest FIR comes following four failed attempts of mediation between the former Delhi Law Minister and his wife and Lipika's insistence on police action against him.

A court had on July 7 dismissed an anticipatory bail plea moved by Bharti saying the application was premature since no FIR had been lodged against him then.
Lipika had also filed a 26-page complaint with the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on June 10 in this regard alleging that her husband had been abusing her ever since their marriage in 2010.
In her complaint to police and DCW, Lipika alleged that there was a "persistent threat to her life" from Bharti. The couple has two children and Lipika lives separately in Dwarka along with the kids.

"She mentioned that her husband used to unleash dogs on her when she was in seventh month into her pregnancy. She said he once forced her to abort and that she tried to slit her wrist," former DCW Chairperson Barkha Singh had said.