The political scene in Delhi was highly charged on Sunday as several Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers were detained by the Delhi Police during their ‘Jail Bharo’ protest march towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters. This AAP protest was organized in response to the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal’s former aide, accused of assaulting AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has fiercely criticized the BJP-led central government, accusing them of playing a ‘Jail Ka Khel’ by arresting his former aide. Kejriwal announced his intention to lead the ‘Jail Bharo’ march along with senior party leaders and workers to showcase their unity against what they believe are politically motivated arrests.
DCP Delhi Central, Harsha Vardhan Mandava, commented on the security measures for the AAP protest: “Based on the information we received through social media and other channels, we have made preventive arrangements on DDU Marg to ensure that law and order are maintained at all costs. We are focused and committed to making adequate security deployments and have barricades in place to ward off any attempt to disrupt law and order. Section 144 has been imposed on DDU Marg and there is no permission for any kind of protest here.”
Extensive security measures were implemented outside the BJP headquarters ahead of the AAP protest. The Delhi Traffic Police issued warnings about potential traffic congestion on DDU Marg, IP Marg, Minto Road, and Vikas Marg due to the AAP Party’s demonstration. They advised commuters to avoid these routes, as DDU Marg might be closed to vehicles from 11 am to 2 pm.
The protest was spurred by the arrest of Kejriwal’s former personal assistant on Saturday in connection with the alleged assault on Maliwal. Following his court appearance at Tis Hazari Court, he was remanded to police custody for five days. In a video message, Kejriwal denounced the BJP’s actions, saying, “You can see how they are after the AAP. One after another, they are putting our leaders behind bars. They put me, Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain, and Sanjay Singh behind bars. Today, they put my (former) PA in jail. Now they are saying they will put Raghav Chadha, Atishi, and Saurabh Bharadwaj in jail. Perhaps it was our fault that we built schools and mohalla clinics, while also providing electricity for free, which they failed to accomplish.”
