New Delhi: A protest by the Aam Aadmi Party against the arrest of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia witnessed chaotic scenes near the BJP headquarters here with police detaining many party leaders and workers.
As AAP protestors tried to march towards the BJP office at DDU Marg, police prevented them from marching ahead by deploying its personnel in strength and erecting barricades.
However, when they insisted to move on and tried to climb barricades, police swung into action and detained several of them.
Police personnel were seen shoving and pushing AAP workers into buses. There were 10-15 buses for carrying the party’s workers.
“Every day false cases are being filed against our leaders. If they are not finding evidence, they are putting people in jails,” said AAP MLA and national spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj.
Bhardwaj and another party MLAs Atishi were leading the protest.
AAP leaders, including Bhardwaj and MLA Rituraj Jha, were seen wearing handcuffs to protest against Sisodia’s arrest
AAP MLAs, leaders and workers were holding banners and raising slogans like “Manish Sisodia Zindabad” and “Shiksha Mantri Jeetenge”
Police told protesters that section 144 of the CRPC was in place in the area and no one was allowed to hold a protest.
They said drones were used by to monitor the situation.
There was also chaotic outside the AAP office. A large number of police and CAPF personnel were deployed there.
This is the height of BJP’s dictatorship. They are now barging into our party office and trying to detain our leaders, party leaders Adil Ahmad Khan and Atishi said addressing the crowd.
Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on Sunday in connection with alleged corruption in the now-scrapped excise policy relating to the sale of liquor.
Sisodia’s arrest, one of the high-profile actions against an opposition leader, came after that of Satyendar Jain, Delhi’s then health minister, in June last year. Both ministers have led what the Aam Aadmi Party describes as the successful transformation of Delhi’s education and health services, contributing to the party’s popularity and continued electoral success.
AAP leaders and workers also held protests in several states against the arrest of Sisodia.
Amid tight security, protests are being held in Chandigarh, Delhi, Bhopal and other cities.
An AAP functionary said in Delhi that all MLAs have been asked to gather 200 people from their respective constituencies for the protest.
