Arvind Kejriwal is the first sitting chief minister to be arrested , in office. His arrest came hours after the Delhi High Court refused to grant protection to the AAP national convenor from any coercive action by the federal agency. The AAP has called for a nationwide protest against the BJP following the arrest.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on Thursday evening after two hours of questioning by the ED in the Delhi liquor scam case (File photo)Delhi Excise Policy scam case
The arrest, the first of a sitting chief minister, came hours after the Delhi High Court refused to grant protection to the AAP national convenor from any coercive action by the federal agency.
The AAP has called for a nationwide protest against the BJP following the arrest. AAP’s Delhi unit convenor Gopal Rai said Kejriwal’s arrest is the “murder of democracy” and an “announcement of dictatorship”.
The ED arrested Kejriwal in an excise policy-linked money-laundering case on Thursday evening and took him to the agency’s headquarters here, officials said.
“I appeal to the countrymen to protest outside BJP offices across the country against this dictatorship. We will gather at the AAP office at 10 am on Friday and then protest outside the BJP headquarters,” Rai, a minister in the Delhi government, said.
“If Kejriwal can be arrested, anyone can be arrested and their voice can be suppressed. From today, the fight has begun. Arvind Kejriwal is not a person, but an ideology,” he added.