In a major twist in the second firing incident in the Shaheen Bagh area, the accused Kapil Gujjar is learnt to be a member of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), as per the Delhi Police.

The photographs released by the police also showed him with some AAP leaders. According to senior Delhi Police officers related to the probe, Gurjar was found to be connected with AAP.

The revelation has been made by the Crime Branch which is interrogating Gujjar, a resident of Dallupura village in east Delhi, who fired shots at Shaheen Bagh on February 1.

During investigation, Kapil Gurjjar’s phone was recovered and his photos with AAP’s Sanjay Singh and Atishi Marlena have emerged, according to police claims.

Sanjay Singh is a Rajya Sabha member of the party while Atishi is contesting the Assembly elections in Delhi from Kalkaji.

Gujjar in his statement to the police had reportedly said that he and his father joined AAP in early 2019. According to the police, Gurjar’s father Gaje Singh contested the polls twice on a Bahujan Samaj Party ticket (Jungpura in 2008 and Patparganj in 2012).

“They both joined AAP in early 2019. He had even deleted his photos from the phone but the same was recovered after technical help,” an officer was quoted as saying by IANS.

He further said that on the day of the incident, Gujjar came to Shaheen Bagh on a bike and with another person named Sarthak.

Two days after a youth, identified as Rambhakt Gopal, fired a pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters near Jamia Milia University, Gujjar on Saturday fired two rounds in the air at Shaheen Bagh, the epicentre of the protest against the country’s new citizenship law.

This is the second time in a week that an armed man has entered the site where the protest against the CAA has been on since over a month.

Gujjar fired three bullets in the air after warning protesters to vacate the spot. He also raised communal slogans. According to the police, the accused was annoyed over the protest at Shaheen Bagh and the ensuing road blockade for nearly 50 days now.

Gujjar chanted Jai Shri Ram and said, “Humare desh me aur kisi ki nahi chalegi, sirf Hindu ki chalegi (only Hindus shall have a say in our country, no one else),” as he was taken into custody by the Delhi Police.

Interestingly, the two incidents happened after Union Minister Anurag Thakur raised ‘shoot the traitor’ slogans during a public rally in Delhi.

Meanwhile, the AAP has termed the development as BJP’s “dirty politics”.

Speaking to IANS, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said: “With just days left before the elections, BJP will try all its dirty politics. Just wait and watch how many more such photos or videos will come out. This is just to divert people’s attention.”

After the police claimed of links between the Shaheen Bagh shooter and AAP, BJP launched a scathing attack on the party and its chief Arvind Kejriwal.

BJP national president JP Nadda on Tuesday evening slammed the AAP and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while Union Minister Prakash Javdekar in a press conference said this has exposed the AAP.

“Kejriwal and his party are saving those who wish to divide the country. They tried to politicise in the matter of Sharjeel Imam but when the Delhi police arrested him their plans failed so they asked its worker to fire gunshot,” Nadda said.

The blame game comes as Delhi is set to go to polls on February 8. The results of the assembly election will be declared on February 11.