The Election Commission has warned a Delhi police officer and barred him from any poll-related duty on February 8, when Delhi votes, for suggesting a link between the man who opened fire at Shaheen Bagh last week and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party.

The commission, in a notice to the police commissioner on Wednesday evening, said the officer’s statements “referring to a political party” although investigations were “still going on” could “adversely” impact the elections.

“This action was totally uncalled for,” the poll panel said.

On Saturday, East Delhi man Kapil Baisala had fired in the air at Shaheen Bagh, where women have been sitting in protest against the new citizenship act for the past month and a half. No one was injured.

Baisala, who was nabbed immediately, told reporters: “In our country, only Hindus will have their way, no one else will.”

On Tuesday, a crime branch DCP, Rajesh Deo, told reporters: “Of these (WhatsApp images from Baisala’s phone), we found photos that establish — and he has said so during questioning — that a year back Kapil Baisala and his father Gaje Singh had joined the Aam Aadmi Party.”

“We have got two days’ remand for him and will establish the conspiracy,” the officer added.

Photos of Baisala with AAP leaders were also released to the media.

Baisala’s father has denied his and his son’s involvement with any party.

The AAP called it a conspiracy by Union home minister Amit Shah and complained to the commission that the police, who normally don’t brief the media on a crime before the probe is over, had done so for the Shaheen Bagh shooter.

Amit Shah in New Delhi (PTI photo)

It also pointed out that the police were silent on the Bajrang Dal links of a teenager who shot and injured a student at another anti-CAA rally last week.

The poll panel, in its notice, said: “The conduct on the part of Shri Rajesh Deo has consequences on the holding of free and fair elections.”

The panel asked the commissioner to issue a warning to Deo and record the “displeasure of the Commission” in his confidential record dossier, which has a bearing on future promotions.

Deo will also not be assigned any work related to Saturday’s Assembly elections in the national capital. The election period ends after the declaration of results.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal had said: “I am not aware of his (Baisala’s) ties with any party. But if he is even remotely related to the AAP, he deserves the maximum punishment for what he has done. I want to request the Hon’ble home minister to stop playing politics on the security of the nation.

“If you are holding a press conference with your police officers just 48 hours before the elections, it exposes your ill-intent, and people understand your intentions.”

The poll panel on Wednesday banned BJP MP Parvesh Verma from campaigning on Thursday, the last day of canvassing for the elections, for a TV interview where he called Kejriwal a Naxalite and accused AAP workers of burning buses without citing any evidence.