Police hunt for BSP leader's son Ashish Pandey, alert airports

NEW DELHI: A Delhi Police team reached Lucknow on Tuesday in search of BSP leader's son who whipped out a pistol during a scuffle with a man at a luxury hotel in the national capital, officials said. The police have also issued a show-cause notice to Hyatt Hotel for alleged negligence in the incident.
A three-member team, led by inspector Harish Chandra, went to Ashish Pandey's house and those of his relatives but could not find him, an officer said.
Quick Edit: Punish this gun wielding VIP brat
Delhi Police have alerted airports and issued a look-out circular against Ashish, who is son of former Bahujan Samaj Party MLA and MP Rakesh Pandey.
In a video of the incident that went viral, Ashish Pandey can purportedly be seen pulling out a weapon during an argument with a man in the porch of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in south Delhi on Sunday around 3.40am, police said. Ashish and his friends can be heard abusing the man who used the ladies' washroom, police said.
One of the victims 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.
Delhi's joint commissioner of police Ajay Chaudhry said: "We are afraid he (Pandey) might leave the country. So, a look-out circular has been issued at airports across the country.
"He doesn't live in Delhi. He has his residence in Lucknow ... We are in coordination with the Uttar Pradesh Police and will be able to arrest him soon," Chaudhry said.
Meanwhile, the father of the victim claimed that his son was in "trauma" after the incident and that was the reason why he did not inform the police.
Ex-Congress MLA Kanwar Karan Singh said, "We have given our version to police and submitted our written statement. We were in trauma after the incident. My son was shown a gun and he was in fear and that is why we did not lodge a complaint before."
"My son was numb with fear after he was shown a gun. We do not believe in violence and stay away form indulging in fights. Police have started their investigation and we believe in them," he said.
Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju took to Twitter to say that "strong and appropriate action will be taken" against the culprits including the friends of Ashish Pandey.
Police took suo motu cognizance of the incident, which Chaudhry said wasn't reported by the hotel authorities or by the people involved in the fight but was recorded in a video that went viral on the social media.
Delhi Police said an FIR has been registered under the Arms Act and sections of the IPC, including those related to causing hurt (323), criminal intimidation (506) and using force with the intent to outrage the modesty of a woman (354).
The Uttar Pradesh Police is assisting the Delhi Police in the hunt for Ashish Pandey.
When the police team reached Pandey's house in Vaibhav Khand in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar area, a domestic help said that Pandey visited the place once or twice a month.
A case under the Arms Act and the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the accused.
Chaudhry said the hotel was yet to respond as to why the incident wasn't reported to the police.
Meanwhile, Hyatt Hotel issued a statement saying the safety of their guests was their primary concern and that they were working with the police in this direction.
"We take the incident that occurred at Hyatt Regency, Delhi," it said.