A high-level police probe has been sought by the Delhi government in a purported attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, led by a group of BJP women activists, at a railway station here even as it dubbed Thursday’s incident a “conspiracy” aimed at physically harming him.
Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs condemned the incident at a special one-day session of the Legislative Assembly on Friday. They said that the episode, wherein Mr. Kejriwal was “pushed and shoved”, must be thoroughly probed and action must be taken against the people who were “instigated” to enter the railway premises.
“It is a result of a conspiracy to attack the elected CM. His entire security detail and itinerary were divulged by the city police so that people could know when and where to attack him. The incident was a serious breach of security,” Mr. Jain said on the floor of the House, adding that the “BJP would pay the price” if Mr. Kejriwal was attacked.
“We will get the incident probed by the Delhi Police Commissioner and its report should be tabled in the Assembly,” Mr. Jain said.
The incident
En route to Ludhiana in poll-bound Punjab for a four-day visit via the Swarn Shatabdi Express, Mr. Kejriwal was intercepted by members of the Delhi BJP and the Delhi BJP Mahila Morcha at platform 1 of the New Delhi Railway Station on Thursday morning. The members presented the CM with bangles and roses while demanding the ouster of his close aide Ashutosh from the AAP.
On Friday, Mr. Jain and other AAP leaders demanded to know whether any permission was sought before the protest was staged and why both the Delhi Police and the railway police remained “mute spectators” to the entire scene.
“The incident did not take place outside the railway station. These women entered the platform and went all the way near the Chief Minister. Were platform tickets bought by them? Was anyone detained or questioned by the police after this incident,” Mr. Jain asked.
The Minister also made a reference about an incident at Chhatarsal Stadium earlier this year when a woman sprayed ink on Mr. Kejriwal in public. “So many central Ministers stay in Delhi. How many of them have had their security compromised? We never ask for security, but if there is a threat to a CM’s life, then shouldn’t the police respond?” he asked.
Laxmi Nagar MLA Nitin Tyagi said Mr. Kejriwal was being attacked because the opposition BJP was “losing in Punjab, Gujarat and Goa elections”.
“The kind of security details divulged about Mr. Kejriwal, I want to ask had Vijender Guptaji or Jagdish Pradhanji or any other BJP leader been the CM, would it still be divulged” Mr. Tyagi asked.
Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra said the incident has dealt a severe blow to the “image of Delhi, Railways and the country at large. And it will take at least 10 year to restore that image”.
(Sourced from agencies, Feature image courtesy:oneindia.com)
