Man held for throwing ‘liquid’ at Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi. Who is he?

Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj has alleged that the man held for attacking Kejriwal “wanted to set him afire after throwing spirit" on him.

The Delhi Police on Saturday detained a man for allegedly splashing some liquid on AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal during his 'padyatra' in south Delhi.

Delhi Police detain the person who tried to throw a liquid on former Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal during his padyatra at Greater Kailash in New Delhi on Saturday.(Atishi/X)

Kejriwal was greeting people standing behind a cordon when the man approached him and splashed the liquid on him, following which the security personnel swiftly overpowered him.

The former Delhi chief minister and the security personnel accompanying him were later seen wiping their faces.

 

According to ANI, the man has been identified as Ashok Jha, a bus marshal at at Khanpur Depot. He is believed to be a resident of the same locality.

The police said that Jha was immediately caught by the police staff. "The said attempt was foiled and the person was detained. The alleged person is serving as a Bus Marshal at Khanpur Depot. Further examination of the person is in progress to find out the reasons behind this act," an unidentified officer said, according to ANI.

Attacker wanted to 'burn Kejriwal alive': AAP

After the attack, Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the man held for attacking Kejriwal “wanted to set him afire after throwing spirit" on him.

"A man threw spirit on him (Kejriwal). We could smell it. And there was an attempt to burn him (Kejriwal) alive.

"The man was carrying spirit in one hand and a matchbox in the other hand. He threw spirit that fell on Kejriwal and me... but he could not start the fire. Our alert volunteers and the public caught him," Bharadwaj claimed in a press conference.

The party has also blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the attack on Kejriwal.

“Shoot-outs and gang-wars are regularly happening in Delhi, and protection money is being asked (from people). A gym owner was killed outside his gym in Greater Kailash, while a person was stabbed to death in Panchsheel Park. Meanwhile, regular attacks are being carried out on Arvind Kejriwal. The BJP-led central government has completely failed,” Saurabh Bharadwaj told PTI earlier.