AAP leaders detained while protesting CM’s summons

According to the Delhi Police, the agitations were peaceful and an official statement said that the total number of detained protesters was 1,350, which the AAP claimed was over 1,500

Senior leaders and workers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), including Delhi cabinet ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj, and Rajya Sabha members of parliament Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh were among those detained during what AAP claimed was a series of agitations across 15 areas in Delhi over the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summons to Delhi chief minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday.

Police detain AAP leaders during a protest near the CBI office in New Delhi on Sunday. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

The senior leaders were detained by the Delhi Police near CBI headquarters, where they protested. Late in the night, after Kejriwal’s questioning ended, special commissioner of police for law and order Dependra Pathak, said that all the detained persons were let off. “They were all detained under the Delhi Police Act as a precautionary measure. They have all left,” Pathak said.

According to a statement released by the AAP, over 30 AAP MLAs and 70 councillors, who participated in the protests at different places, were detained.

Meanwhile, Delhi AAP leaders called an emergency meeting at the party headquarters on Sunday evening even as Kejriwal’s questioning continued after 5pm.

Calling it a witch-hunt against the AAP, Delhi minister and AAP Delhi convenor Gopal Rai hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the detention of the party leaders and alleged that “the PM was blindsided by his dictatorial attitude and wants to crush AAP because it has become a ray of hope in the country”.

According to the Delhi Police, the agitations were peaceful and an official statement said that the total number of detained protesters was 1,350, which the AAP claimed was over 1,500. “Despite the gatherings at many locations, the agitators weren’t able to cause any major trouble. There was no violence reported. We have not registered any FIRs so far,” said Sagar Preet Hooda, the other special commissioner of Delhi Police for law and order.

Kejriwal was summoned by CBI as a witness in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22 case. Kejriwal has, however, not been named an accused in CBI’s FIR filed on August 17 last year.

However, according to people aware of the investigations, Kejriwal’s name cropped up when the other accused and witnesses were interrogated, prompting the agency to seek clarifications.

“A total of 32 MLAs and 70 councillors of Delhi have been detained from different areas. Around 20 MLAs accompanying Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann have also been detained. The police have also detained a huge number of common citizens, taking the total number of protestors detained at police stations to over 1,500. PM Narendra Modi has insulted not only CM Kejriwal and the AAP but also the people of Delhi through his actions,” Gopal Rai said at a press conference.

Rai condemned the arrests and called them the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s “blatant attack on democracy.” “It is clear that the Prime Minister and his cronies will stop at nothing to silence those who speak truth to power,” he said.

Jasmine Shah, vice-chairperson of the Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi, said while the Delhi Police detained AAP leaders, BJP leaders doing dharna at many places were not detained. “Many ministers, MPs, AAP leaders of Delhi and Punjab governments were waiting outside CBI HQ for Kejriwal to come but the police took everyone into custody without any crime. BJP was protesting at many places but they were not taken into custody,” Shah said.

Rai said that the AAP will not surrender or back down. “But let me be clear. We won’t surrender or back down. If they seek to extinguish the spark of hope that burns within us, then we shall ignite it brighter and take it to every corner of this great country,” Rai said.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the people of Delhi rejected the protest calls given by AAP and most AAP workers stayed away from the demonstrations. “Traffic flowed freely across the city and the Delhi Police only detained a few for trying to obstruct traffic,” said Kapoor.

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said the BJP will continue to struggle till Kejriwal goes to jail. “We will hold a protest at the Delhi assembly on Monday. Due to the struggle of BJP workers, Kejriwal has been called by CBI for questioning but it is surprising that Kejriwal resorted to gimmicks by visiting Raj Ghat to hide his lies,” Sachdeva said.

A group of BJP leaders including Sachdeva and leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri sat on a dharna at Raj Ghat against AAP leaders who compared Kejriwal with Mahatma Gandhi after he was summoned by CBI.