Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Chaitar Vasava faced an FIR after he allegedly threatened some forest department officials and fired one round in the air with a pistol at his residence in Gujarat’s Narmada district, while his wife and two others were arrested in the case, police said on Friday.
Vasava’s wife, his personal assistant and one more person were arrested on Friday in connection with the incident, while the opposition party MLA from the Dediapada constituency is absconding, Narmada district Superintendent of Police Prashant Sumbe said.
The legislator was booked under Indian Police Code (IPC) sections related to rioting, extortion and attack on government officials as well as provisions of the Arms Act after a clash with state forest department personnel who were called to his residence in Dediapada town to discuss the issue of encroachments on forest land, Sumbe said.
The incident occurred on the night of October 30 and an FIR (first information report) was registered at the Dediapada police station on Thursday night (November 2) against four persons — Vasava, his wife and two others, he said.
A dispute arose between the two sides after the forest department raised objections to the use of forest land for farming by private parties, said the SP.
The MLA allegedly confronted the forest officials after inviting them to his residence for discussing the matter. During discussion, the lawmaker and the other accused allegedly threatened the officials, and Vasava even fired one round in the air, the police officer said.
Vasava is one of the five MLAs of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party to be elected in the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections. The tribal MLA was later appointed the AAP’s legislature party leader in the state.