Delhi Police finally let Sisodia into Kejriwal’s residence, insist CM not under ‘house arrest’

Police let a group of AAP leaders and workers led by Manish Sisodia after they held a nearly 2-hour long dharna to be let in.

AAP dharna outside the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence in Delhi | Photo: Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint

New Delhi: The Delhi Police finally allowed a group of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) party leaders led by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to enter Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, but not before they held an hours-long dharna.  

The party had Tuesday alleged that Arvind Kejriwal was put under house arrest even as the police maintained that he was free to move and that the barricades outside his residence were to maintain law and order. 

Police had, however, prevented AAP leaders and Delhi cabinet ministers from meeting the chief minister before they let in the Sisodia-led group through another gate at around 5.20 pm. 

AAP workers, initially led by party MLA Somnath Bharati, landed up outside the chief minister’s residence at 1 pm. 

They attempted to breach the barricades, about a 100m from Kejriwal’s residence, but were thwarted by the police. 

They then began holding a dharna and were joined by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who reached here along with 70 party workers at around 3.40 pm. They too joined the dharna. 

“CP Police is saying it’s not a house arrest, but the cops here aren’t meeting us… if this isn’t house arrest then what is it?” Manish Sisodia had told reporters outside the chief minister’s house before he was let in. 

“The CM prevented the protesting farmers from being sent to jail and this is why they are treating him like this,” he added. 

Sisodia also tweeted that he spoke to the CM’s office and was informed that Kejriwal has repeatedly requested the Delhi Police to let people enter and meet him but they were refusing to do so. 

CM ऑफ़िस कह रहा है लोगों को आने दो लेकिन पुलिस अंदर नहीं जाने दे रही है. CM से मिलना है या नहीं यह पुलिस तय कर रही है CM नहीं?

फिर भी बीजेपी और उसकी पुलिस बेशर्मी से कह रही है कि CM को नज़रबंद नहीं किया हुआ. नज़रबंदी/हाउस अरेस्ट और क्या होता है?

— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) December 8, 2020

 

AAP also tweeted that its Punjab leader Bhagwant Mann was not being allowed to enter.

Bhagwant Mann stopped Outside CM's Residence. AAP MP not being allowed to meet CM Arvind Kejriwal. #BJPHouseArrestsKejriwal for standing with India's farmers. https://t.co/lM4za8O64h

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) December 8, 2020

 

Police, however, maintained that the chief minister is not under house arrest. 

“It is a politically sensitive situation and since BJP leaders are protesting outside the CM house since yesterday, letting too many AAP leaders enter at the same time could lead to a scuffle,” Anto Alphonse, DCP North, told ThePrint.

“We are only looking at it as a law and order issue and we have seen MLAs even walk up to CM house.” 

BJP leaders have also been protesting at the chief minister’s residence since Monday. While BJP leaders sat right outside the CM’s house, AAP leaders, including the deputy CM, were not allowed to enter the area beyond the barricade. 

A senior Delhi police official told ThePrint: “The CM is free to go where he wants, no one is stopping him carrying on with his daily routine.”

Another police personnel on duty, requesting anonymity, said only those residing in neighbouring houses were allowed to cross and no vehicle of AAP leaders could go beyond the barricaded area. 

Developments a day after Kejriwal’s Singhu border visit

The developments come a day after Kejriwal visited the Singhu border to extend his support to the farmers’ agitation. 

In a tweet, AAP said, “Huge police force deployed by BJP’s Centre Govt to stop CM @ArvindKejriwal from stepping out and supporting farmers’ movement.”

Party workers engaged in sloganeering took a dig at the BJP, claiming that the party didn’t want AAP to support the cause of farmers or visit Singhu Border again and so the Delhi Police was directed to put CM under house arrest. 

AAP had early Tuesday morning tweeted, alleging that the chief minister had been put under house arrest even as the police insisted that it was not the case. 

AAP MLA @akhilesht84 was not allowed to meet CM @ArvindKejriwal who's under house arrest.

MLA Akhilesh Tripathi was manhandled by police. #BJPHouseArrestsKejriwal #आज_भारत_बंद_है
pic.twitter.com/r7IC23vo0B pic.twitter.com/RsnwXF0pga

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) December 8, 2020

 

AAP workers on dharna alluded to the CM’s Singhu visit, while taunting the BJP and accusing it of using the Delhi Police to curb Kejriwal’s movements as it did not want him to back the farmers.

The BJP, which has been protesting with municipal corporation workers from the three civic bodies it runs, responded saying the chief minister was looking to evade questions on salaries not paid to the MCD workers. 

“We have been sitting here since yesterday raising concerns over the pending salaries of MCD workers,” BJP MP from the New Delhi constituency, Meenakshi Lekhi, told ThePrint.  

She added that the claims about Kejirwal being under house arrest were wrong. “He is resting inside his house,” she said. “He talks about supporting farmers but he is busy attending weddings and what not. What house arrest is he talking about if he was attending a wedding last night?”

BJP leader Kapil Mishra shared CCTV footage that he claimed was that of Kejriwal entering a hotel to attend a wedding on Monday night.

केजरीवाल के सफ़ेद झूठ का पर्दाफाश

AAP ने कहा कल दिन में किसानों से मिलने के बाद केजरीवाल को पुलिस ने हाउस अरेस्ट किया हैं

ये कल रात की CCTV वीडियो, केजरीवाल शादी अटेंड करने गए थे pic.twitter.com/tPAzlSpcXz

— Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishra_IND) December 8, 2020

 

Jai Prakash, BJP leader and chairperson of the standing committee of North Delhi Municipal Corporation, said, “He just likes to evoke sympathy. We will sit here indefinitely until he speaks to us and gives our dues to us.”  

(With inputs from Ananya Bhardwaj)