On Friday, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the BJP-led government and the Delhi Police of plotting to harm their leader, Arvind Kejriwal. They also asked the Election Commission (EC) to restore the security provided to Kejriwal by the Punjab Police, which was recently removed.
There was no immediate response from the BJP or the Delhi Police to these accusations.
At a press conference, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said they had written to the EC.
They asked for "fair conditions" for AAP in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections on February 5 and for Kejriwal's security to be reinstated. They also requested an investigation into recent threats to his life.
The AAP leaders claimed that the Delhi Police, which is controlled by the central government, ignored attacks on Kejriwal. They also said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered this.
Atishi stated, "There are two groups behind this plot to harm Kejriwal — the BJP and the Delhi Police. They want to end Kejriwal's life. There was an attack on him in October. We found that the attackers were BJP supporters, but the police did nothing."
She added, "We’ve asked the EC to restore Kejriwal’s security. We don’t trust the Delhi Police because it answers to Amit Shah."
The AAP leaders said that the BJP had removed Kejriwal’s security to play "dirty politics" ahead of the Delhi elections. They said that this was part of a pattern of trying to put Kejriwal’s safety at risk.
In their letter to the EC, the AAP leaders said: "We are deeply concerned about Kejriwal’s safety. He has faced serious threats to his life and there have been repeated failures to protect him. These aren’t random events; they seem to be part of a planned effort to harm him."
The AAP also mentioned that in the past three months, Kejriwal had been targeted in several attacks, including being physically assaulted and hit with stones during a rally. They said the police had "just watched" and didn't take any action to protect him.
The leaders said that the decision to remove the Punjab Police’s security for Kejriwal was "politically motivated." The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had reportedly told the Punjab Police to take back its security because Kejriwal already has Z-plus security in Delhi.
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"The Punjab Police, which has always been an important part of Kejriwal's security, was suddenly withdrawn without explanation. This decision puts Kejriwal at risk, as now he has to rely on the Delhi Police, which is controlled by the BJP," the AAP leaders wrote.
On Thursday, Punjab’s Director General of Police (DGP), Gaurav Yadav, confirmed that the Punjab Police had withdrawn from Kejriwal’s security, following orders from Delhi Police and the EC.
The AAP leaders urged the EC to urgently review Kejriwal’s security and to bring back the Punjab Police to ensure he gets proper protection.
During the press conference, Bhagwant Mann pointed out that BJP leaders, like Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, get security from other states when they need it.
He said, "People who have Z-plus security should be given protection. For example, Yogi Adityanath gets security from his state, and he also gets protection when he campaigns here. Even West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked for help from the Punjab Police during elections because she didn’t trust the central forces. We gave her the security she needed and charged for it."
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