Delhi cops question former AAP minister who resigned over conversion row

The Delhi Police on Monday questioned former minister Rajendra Pal Gautam over his presence at a religious conversion event where Hindu deities were allegedly denounced, and he will again be quizzed on October 11, senior officials said.

Gautan, however, asked why Delhi Police has not taken action against Bharatiya Janata Party MP Parvesh Verma over his inflammatory remarks intended to 'terrorise' the Muslim community.

The Aam Aadmi Party leader, who resigned from the Delhi cabinet on Sunday after the controversy over attending the event, said he has not received any notice for questioning on Tuesday but will comply if he is called again.

"I was questioned today at 4 pm. They asked me about the nature of the programme and how it was organised.

"I have not been called tomorrow. I am a lawyer and if they call me I will go. I follow the law and if I have committed any crime, you can register a case and arrest me. If I have not, you can interrogate me," he told PTI.

Gautam added that he was not told whether any case has been filed in the matter.

"I will offer sweets to the complainant if I am arrested," he added.

"He has been issued a notice to appear for questioning along with some others on Tuesday," a senior police official said.

"He was questioned today also about his alleged presence in the event. We have sent him a notice to join the probe on Tuesday as well and we have also received his acceptance," he added.

Details will be sought from him regarding what actually happened there, he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party had used the issue to attack AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal during the election campaigning in Gujarat and accused him of being 'anti-Hindu'.

On Monday, Gautam hit back raising the issue of alleged speech by BJP's West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma at a Sunday event where he called for a 'total boycott' of a community.

'Why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are silent on this. Isn't such a statement a terror activity. When will Delhi Police take action? We are waiting for it,' the AAP leader said in a tweet in Hindi.

In a letter shared on Twitter, Gautam had said he attended the event in his personal capacity and it had nothing to do with his party or the ministry.

He lashed out at the BJP for targeting Kejriwal and the AAP, alleging the saffron party was doing 'dirty politics' on the issue.

The controversy erupted last week after a video went viral in which Gautam is seen at an event on October 5 where hundreds took a pledge to convert to Buddhism and to not consider Hindu deities as gods.

Gautam, who was the Minister for Social Welfare, SC and ST, Registrar of Co-operative Societies and Gurudwara Elections, said he is resigning as minister as he does not want his leader or AAP to be in trouble because of him.