Arvind Kejriwal's Arrest: AAP's Massive Protest In Delhi Today; Police Beefs Up Security

AAP's protest comes after the arrest of their party leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday.

Pic Courtesy: ANI

New Delhi: Delhi Police has intensified security measures on sunday ahead of the anticipated protest  by AAP leaders and supporters in New Delhi. AAP had pledged to organize a candle march and burn the effigy of the BJP government. This move comes after the arrest of their party leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday. 

"We got information that workers and leaders of AAP will hold protest. To ensure law and order situation, we have stepped up security in the national capital. We will ensure deployment of paramilitary forces along with Delhi Police personnel. Senior officers will continue to monitor the entire situation in their districts. Directions have been issued to the SHOs to keep a strict vigil in their area and to inform their senior officers immediately, if they get to know about any protest," a senior police officer said.

Security Beefs Up In Delhi 

As a precaution, stringent security measures, including heavy deployment of personnel and multiple layers of barricades, have been implemented on routes leading to the BJP headquarters, ITO, and the ED office  where AAP members plan to assemble to demonstrate against Chief Minister Kejriwal's arrest. Paramilitary personnel, equipped with riot control gear, have been stationed to maintain law and order.

Moreover, the police have been instructed the traffic department to ensure smooth traffic flow in Delhi and to arrange diversions promptly if AAP demonstrators march. Roads leading to both the BJP headquarters and the ED office in central Delhi have been closed as part of the heightened security protocols.

Arvind Kejriwal's Arrest

Kejriwal was arrested by the central agency late Thursday night on charges of corruption in relation to the Delhi excise policy case. It is the first time in independent India that a serving Chief Minister has been arrested. The move came after Kejriwal skipped multiple summons by the investigation agency, nine in total, calling them "illegal".

The case pertains to alleged irregularities and money laundering in framing and implementing the Delhi Excise Policy 2022, which was later scrapped.

While Kejriwal was not named in the FIRs registered by the ED or the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Delhi excise policy case, his name first found a mention in the ED's chargesheet, wherein the agency claimed that he allegedly spoke to one of the main accused, Sameer Mahendru, in a video call and asked him to continue working with co-accused and AAP communications-in-charge Vijay Nair.