Man attacks CM Arvind Kejriwal during Moti Nagar roadshow, detained
Police said Chauhan is a scrap dealer from Kailash Park in Moti Nagar. The attack took place when Kejriwal arrived in Moti Nagar in his police escort vehicle and the roadshow was about to start.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was allegedly attacked by a 33-year-old man during an election roadshow in west Delhi’s Moti Nagar on Saturday. The police in a statement said that the man, identified as Suresh Chauhan, was a supporter of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and had organised rallies and meeting for the party. But he got “disenchanted” by the leadership and the “party’s distrust in the armed forces”, police said.
Refuting the police’s statement, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said, the police are “doing all this on the orders of the Modi government.” Till late Saturday evening, no FIR was registered in the case.
Police said Chauhan is a scrap dealer from Kailash Park in Moti Nagar. The attack took place when Kejriwal arrived in Moti Nagar in his police escort vehicle and the roadshow was about to start. The CM was there to hold a roadshow for the Aam Aadmi Party’s Lok Sabha candidate from New Delhi, Brijesh Goyal.
Police said, Kejriwal had arrived in Moti Nagar around 5.43pm. “He got out of the official vehicle and got on to an open jeep for the roadshow. As he was greeting his party workers who had gathered around the vehicle, a person suddenly got on to the bonnet of the jeep and attempted to assault the CM. He was immediately overpowered and the CM was shielded by his supporters,” Delhi Police’s additional public relation officer, Anil Mittal, said in the statement.
Police said while Kejriwal continued with the roadshow as scheduled, Chauhan — who was thrashed by the CM’s supporters — had to be taken to a hospital.
“Chauhan was wearing a cap which he later took off and had also draped a scarf. He was standing with others, waiting to welcome the CM. Since he was an organiser of the party, no one initially objected to him approaching Kejriwal,” Mittal said.
The spokesperson said that during preliminary interrogation, the man revealed that he was an AAP supporter and used to work as one of the organisers of the party’s rallies and meetings.
“As per Chauhan’s version, over a period of time, he got disenchanted due to the behaviour of the AAP leaders. He got further angry due to distrust of the party in the armed forces,” Mittal said.
Mittal added that during security arrangements for such events, it is ensured that only people who are known to the organisers are in the vicinity of the vehicle used for the roadshow. “An enquiry by a deputy commissioner-level officer has been ordered to probe how this person was allowed in the proximity of the CM’s vehicle,” said the officer.
Chauhan’s brother-in-law, Hansraj, said that the family worked as ironsmiths and own a roadside shop. “I heard about the incident and rushed to Moti Nagar police station. He has been detained. We are unaware what triggered him to attack Kejriwal,” he said.
A video of the incident later surfaced on social media. In the video clip, Kejriwal is seen stepping out of his car and climbing on to the back of an open jeep, in which Delhi health minister Satyendra Jain and AAP leader Brijesh Goyal were already present.
Suddenly, a man in a red shirt and black pants is seen climbing on to the bonnet of the vehicle and attacking Kejriwal.