After Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the alleged liquor policy scam, his Aam Aadmi Party is launching huge protests in Delhi as well as across the country.
Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj, the state ministers along with the other protesters, who were leading a mega protest march in Delhi, have been detained. Atishi was dragged away by the cops to a bus meant to take the protesters to the nearest police station, dramatic visuals from ITO showed.
For security purposes, the police have closed all roads leading to the AAP headquarters. The AAP has summoned all its office-bearers, ministers and councilors at the main office at 10 am.
Water cannons and paramilitary forces have also been deployed on the DDU road, which leads to the BJP headquarters. The Delhi Metro said that the ITO Metro station will stay shut during 8 am-6 pm today on the advice of Delhi Police.
The Supreme Court will take up Kejriwal’s petition against his arrest today, a day after it denied an urgent hearing in his plea against the raids at his house. The probe agency, meanwhile, will produce the Chief Minister in an ED court.
Kejriwal’s arrest has unleashed waves of protest by thousands of party workers and condemnation from the Opposition camp. Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader, will visit Mr. Kejriwal’s family today, said sources.
The AAP has said that Mr Kejriwal will continue to discharge his chief ministerial duties from jail – a prospect that may create a constitutional crisis, legal experts have said.
Atishi addressed a press conference and called the arrest a “political conspiracy by the BJP”.
“It is the first time that a sitting Chief Minister has been arrested by the central government. In the country’s history, it is the first time that after the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections, the national convenor of a national party has been arrested. Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest is BJP’s political conspiracy,” she said.
Also read | Gyanesh Kumar, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu take charge as Election Commissioners today
Arvind Kejriwal’s Arrest
The Enforcement Directorate, which is investigating a money laundering angle in the alleged liquor policy scam, had called Mr Kejriwal a “conspirator”.
The probe team turned up at Arvind Kejriwal’s home last evening with a search warrant after he skipped nine summonses by the central agency. Later in the day, the Delhi High Court refused to grant him protection from arrest.
Around 9 pm after a search and questioning session, the agency arrested him and took him to the ED office. His and his wife’s phones were also confiscated and data was transferred from two tablets and a laptop at his home. Kejriwal spent the night in an ED lock-up after a medical check-up from the RML hospital, sources said.
AAP called a nationwide protest against the BJP on Friday at a post-midnight press conference. In Delhi, the protest will take place outside the BJP headquarters.
The scrapped excise policy was introduced to bring an overhaul to the liquor business in Delhi and promised a more modern shopping experience. But VK Saxena, the Delhi Lieutenant Governor ordered to investigate alleged irregularities in the new policy prompted its cancellation.
Kejriwal’s arrest comes less than a week after BRS leader K Kavitha was taken into custody in the liquor policy case. Mr. Kejriwal was named as a conspirator for the first time after Ms Kavitha’s arrest. Two prominent AAP leaders, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are already in jail in connection with the case.
For more information, click here.
