Attacks Against Me Are Being Ordered: Kejriwal Hints At Foul Play

Kejriwal alleged foul play in the incident, saying “ these attacks aren’t random, but are being ordered.”

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

(Photo: ANI)

A day after the Delhi Police arrested the man accused of attacking Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with chilli powder, the CM on Wednesday, 21 November, alleged foul play in the incident, saying “these attacks aren't random, but are being ordered.”

“Humlog inki aankhon ka roda ban chuke hain. Ye log milke mujhe marwana chahte hain. Ye baar-baar humlogo ke upar hamle karwa rahe hain. (We have become a hindrance for them. They want to get me killed. They are repeatedly attacking us),” Kejriwal said.

The accused, identified as Anil Kumar, had allegedly thrown chilli powder at Kejriwal outside the CM’s office at the secretariat at 2:30 pm on Tuesday, 20 November, when Kejriwal was leaving for lunch. Kumar was immediately taken into custody.

The case has been taken up for investigation and the accused has been detained for further questioning.

A joint interrogation conducted by IB, Special Cell and local police revealed that the accused was unstable and incoherent, news agency PTI had quoted an official as saying.

A case under IPC Sections 186 ( obstructing public servant in discharge of duty), 506 (criminal intimidation), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty) was registered.

According to ANI, Kumar had handed a note to the CM and touched his feet when the chilli powder packet fell from his hand. A probe is underway to see whether it was an attack or the powder fell unintentionally, Delhi Police said.

‘BJP Knew About Attack On Kejriwal, Wants Him Eliminated’

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday, 21 November, alleged that the BJP leadership had knowledge of the attack on Kejriwal and that the Opposition party wants the latter eliminated to stop him from working for the people.

"(Union) Home Minister Rajnath Singh called Kejriwal and asked him to file a complaint in the attack on him. Is this the way an attack on a chief minister should be probed?" Sisodia asked at a press conference.

The BJP had termed the incident as "drama" by Kejriwal, with its Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari demanding a high-level probe into it.

“After failing to stop Kejriwal from working for the people of Delhi, now the BJP wants him eliminated. The entire series of events indicate that top BJP leadership had knowledge of the attack on Kejriwal.” 

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia

The deputy chief minister also lashed out at the Delhi Police, alleging it was acting on the behest of the BJP and trying to save the culprit.

Not The First Attack Against Kejriwal

The Delhi CM is no stranger to such attacks. In 2014, while campaigning for the Delhi Assembly elections, Kejriwal was slapped by an auto rickshaw driver who had garlanded the AAP chief before attacking him.

Two years later, a woman named Bhavna Arora had thrown ink at the CM during a rally in Delhi following the completion of the AAP government’s odd-even scheme.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI)