'BJP Playing Dirty Politics': Kejriwal Shares Video of Shaheen Bagh Shooter's Father Denying Links With AAP

New Delhi: A day after the Delhi Police released photographs of Shaheen Bagh shooter Kapil Baisala with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP of playing "dirty politics" ahead of the elections on February 8, citing a news report showing Baisala's father denying any links to his party.

"The BJP is playing dirty politics with Delhi's law and order and the security of the country. It was their dirty politics to falsely accuse the Aam Aadmi Party two days before the polling. The truth has come out today," Kejriwal said in a tweet.

The AAP national convener shared a video posted by The Economic Times in which Baisala's father, Gaje Singh, denied having joined the party anytime. "We have never taken the membership of AAP neither do we have anything to do with the party," he said.

"My son was a Modi 'sevak' (supporter) and used to talk about Hindutva and Hinduism," Singh added.

The father reiterated his son's earlier claims of traffic snarls being the reason behind why he opened fire at Shaheen Bagh, saying, "He was frustrated because of the traffic jams due to which he had to spend four hours for the same work which could be done in an hour."

Baisala, 25, was arrested on February 1 for firing in the air at Shaheen Bagh, which has been at the centre of protests in the national capital against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Baisala's father reportedly contested elections twice on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket — from Jangpura in 2008 and then Patparganj four years later.

The Crime Branch, which is investigating the case, found images on Baisala's phone showing him with AAP leaders Atishi and Sanjay Singh.

Baisala's family, however, refuted the police's claim on Tuesday. His uncle, Fatesh Singh, said he has no idea where the photographs are circulating from.

"My nephew Kapil had no association with any political party nor does any other member from the family is. My brother Gaje Singh (Kapil's father) fought the assembly elections in 2008 for the BSP and lost. After that no one from our family had any links with any political party," he had said.

Singh said Baisala also does not have any friends associated with the AAP or any other political party.

Sachin Gujjar, Baisala's brother, also made a similar statement.

"My father and Kapil are not members of AAP. During their campaign in our village last year, AAP workers made my father wear a cap and that is the picture that you are seeing on news channels," he said.