Arvind Kejriwal's family put under 'house arrest': Gopal Rai
Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Minister Gopal Rai on Friday claimed that the family of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal—who was arrested a day earlier—has been put under "house arrest." According to reports, Rai reached Kejriwal's residence on Friday and was prohibited from meeting the AAP national convener's family. "Under which law am I being stopped from meeting his family?" he asked reporters.
Why does this story matter?
On Thursday evening, the ED conducted searches at Kejriwal's residence on Flagstaff Road in Delhi's Civil Lines area, after which he was questioned for over two hours and subsequently arrested. This action, led by an additional director-level officer and involving a 10-member team, marked the 16th arrest in the now-scrapped excise policy case. The move came shortly after the Delhi High Court denied protection from arrest to Kejriwal in the case.
Atishi says AAP concerned for Kejriwal's safety in ED custody
Separately, AAP leader Atishi has claimed the party was worried about Kejriwal's security in ED custody. "Being the Chief Minister of Delhi, Kejriwal is given Z+ security. Now, he is in ED custody," she told PTI. "Who'll be responsible for Kejriwal's safety? Who's entering his lock-up in the ED office?" Atishi asked while urging the Centre to give details on the security arrangements. Notably, Atishi was detained during a protest against Kejriwal's arrest at the ITO earlier in the day.
Rising support for Kejriwal amidst detention controversy
After the Delhi chief minister's arrest, the AAP had called for a nationwide protest against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday. During a late-night press conference on Thursday, Atishi confirmed that AAP had received support from the members of the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc. She also claimed that the Delhi CM's fight will continue from the "roads to the court."
Opposition rallies behind Kejriwal
The AAP's INDIA partners—the Congress and the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party have rallied behind the Delhi CM. The Congress alleged that the ruling BJP is scared of the upcoming elections and is creating problems for the opposition out of panic. Pawar said that Kejriwal's arrest shows the depth to which the BJP will stoop for power. "INDIA stands united against this unconstitutional action against Arvind Kejriwal," Pawar wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
After Kejriwal's arrest, ex-Congress leader recalls Anna Hazare protests
Meanwhile, former Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee remarked on how "Karma" caught up with the Delhi CM. "He (Kejriwal) and Anna Hazare gang were responsible for making most irresponsible, baseless and wild allegations against Congress including (ex-Delhi CM) Sheila Dikshit ji saying he had 'trunk loads' of evidence against her," she said in an X post. "No one has seen the 'trunk' so far. Karma catches up!" added the former President Pranab Mukherjee's daughter.
