Delhi AAP MLA Pankaj Pushkar thrashed by locals; Akali Dal MLA claims 'assaulted for demanding bribe' [VIDEO]

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Pankaj Pushkar and his officer-in-charge were allegedly manhandled when a team led by Delhi Food and Civil Supplies Minister Imran Hussain conducted a raid on two ration shops in Timarpur's Nehru Vihar area in the national capital on Saturday.

Reportedly, the crowd present at the shops started sloganeering and protesting against Timarpur MLA Pushkar after he asked owners of a few ration shops to show their record books. 

The incident took a serious turn after the locals and the MLA got involved in an argument, after which the locals allegedly chased the MLA and assaulted him.

Police teams accompanying the MLA and the team rescued them and took them to safety, reports said. Pushkar later told the police that he had received allegations of corruption in the public distribution system.

The AAP MLA said in his statement, "I had, therefore, requested the minister to conduct a departmental inquiry into these allegations. It was for this that he decided to survey the area. When we reached there, we were attacked by members of the ration mafia."

The incident was caught on camera, with the video showing how a mob chased after the MLA and his aide to thrash him. In the video, the MLA can be seen trying to take refuge behind a car, but the mob catches up with him and a woman assaults him as well.

The video also shows Pushkar warning the crowd of the consequences of the attack, however, they continue to hurl abuses at him unabated.

Pushkar's aide, Devesh Kumar, can also be seen being beaten up by the locals, as per the video.

The video in question was also shared by Akali Dal MLA from Rajouri Garden, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, on his Twitter account. However, Sirsa claimed that Pushkar was beaten up by the cops for allegedly demanding bribe at a ration shop, following which the locals allegedly thrashed him. 

Mocking Pushkar for getting assaulted by a mob, Sirsa also took a jibe at AAP supremo and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, claiming that he and his team members were getting humiliated on the streets of Delhi every day. 

On the other hand, Pushkar had filed a police complaint against the accused. Following the incident, the AAP MLA was taken for a medical examination and later discharged.