Delhi police arrests ex-BSP MP's son for brandishing pistol at luxury hotel

The son of a former BSP MP was booked for allegedly brandishing a weapon in the foyer of a five-star hotel here, a video of which went viral on social media, police said Tuesday.

The accused, Ashish Pandey, hails from Lucknow and is the son of former BSP MP Rakesh Pandey. His brother, Ritesh Pandey, is a sitting MLA in Uttar Pradesh.

A complaint about the incident was received by the police Monday from the assistant security manager of Hyatt Regency Hotel in RK Puram, following which a LookOut Circular (LOC) was issued, they said.

An FIR was registered in the case, a senior police officer said.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said the police had initiated action in the case.

"The Delhi Police has initiated action on this incident which is also being shown in the media. An FIR has been registered under the Arms Act and the IPC. Strong and appropriate action will be taken. Also verifying the identity of others," the minister tweeted.

The incident occurred in the early hours of October 14, police said.

In the video, Ashish Pandey can purportedly be seen brandishing a gun in the foyer of the hotel, the police officer said.

The victim told a news channel that the accused, who held the gun, walked up to him and hurled abuses.

"A man with a gun hurled abuses at us and walked up threateningly. I was intimidated and scared. The hotel staff were present at the spot. They tried to intervene but could not as they were also scared," the victim claimed.

Police said the security staff of the hotel told them that the accused and the victims were partying at a nightclub in the hotel and had an argument over using the washroom.

A woman accompanying the accused abused the victims and called them "transgender", a senior official privy to the probe said.

It is suspected both the parties involved in the incident were drunk at the time of the incident, he added.

"No PCR call was made by any of the parties or even by the hotel authorities. It is negligence on the part of the hotel as something major could have also happened.

"We are exploring legal options in the matter and will also inform our licensing branch that will see what action can be taken against the hotel," another officer privy to the probe said.

He said after the video went viral, the police contacted the hotel authorities and then they lodged a complaint.

The police said it had issued a Look Out Circular and also contacted their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh.

Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Ajay Chaudhary said on the incident took place on October 14 at 3.40 am.

"No complaint was lodged by the victim and the hotel staff on the same day. There is negligence on the part of three parties -- the victim, hotel authorities and the accused," he said.

"The police have registered a case. We are coordinating with the UP Police and teams are looking out for him. We have added the relevant sections based on the video. A Look Out Circular has been opened up for him," he said.

He said the police are also trying to trace the victim.

It would be known whether the accused was carrying a licensed weapon or not only after he is caught, he said.