Man who slapped Kejriwal expresses regret, clarifies he is apolitical
On May 4, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a roadshow. While he waved at his fans, a man came from nowhere and slapped him. The shameful incident started a political turmoil with the AAP chief quickly blaming BJP. And now the man, identified as, Suresh Chauhan, has said he doesn't have any political affiliations. He also expressed regret. Here's what happened.
Backstory: Kejriwal was slapped when he was campaigning
The incident took place when Kejriwal was in Moti Nagar to seek votes for Brijesh Goyal, whom AAP has fielded from New Delhi. His supporters cheered as he moved in an open SUV. Around the same time, Chauhan climbed on top of the vehicle and assaulted Kejriwal. Subsequently, he was detained by Delhi police and booked under IPC Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt).
Regret what I did that day: Chauhan
Chauhan, who was granted bail by a magistrate on Thursday, said he didn't know what was going on his mind. "I do not know why and how it happened that day. When I was behind bars; I regretted what I did that day," Chauhan told ANI. He added he was influenced by Kejriwal when he was part of India Against Corruption movement in 2010.
Chauhan said no one asked him to slap Kejriwal
"I am not affiliated to any political party. Nobody asked me to do this. Police did not misbehave with me. They only said what I did was wrong," Chauhan said. He also revealed he was disappointed that successive political parties ignored his community.
Delhi Police claimed Chauhan was AAP supporter, Kejriwal dismissed it
After Chauhan was arrested, Delhi Police said he was a disgruntled AAP supporter. Police claimed AAP's ideology and "distrust" towards armed forces angered Chauhan. But AAP rubbished this theory. Kejriwal claimed Chauhan's wife has accepted he is a BJP supporter. "The assaulter's wife has said that her husband was a huge 'Modi Bhakt', he couldn't tolerate anything against Narendra Modi Ji," Kejriwal had said.
Kejriwal went as far as demanding PM Modi's resignation
"Modiji has insulted the Army as no one has done before. If such an attack happens on any other chief minister, will the police commissioner save his job? Prime Minister himself should resign after such an incident," Kejriwal had said.
Kejriwal has been attacked numerous times
Notably, the "slapgate" was condemned by all leaders across political ideologies. Everyone said violence is never the answer. Unfortunately for Kejriwal, the attacks have rarely stopped. In 2015, he was slapped while campaigning for Assembly polls. Months later, an autorickshaw driver also slapped him. Last year, a man threw chili powder on Kejriwal inside Delhi Secretariat, which is no less than a fortress.
