Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was arrested late evening on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from his residence in Delhi's Civil Lines, only months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

This comes after the CM had skipped nine summons by the agency in the past. He was arrested in relation to a money laundering case allegedly connected to the now scrapped new Excise Policy. Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh are already in judicial custody in connection with this case.

AAP has called for a countrywide protest, denouncing this move as completely illegal and unconstitutional. They have also affirmed that Kejriwal remains the Chief Minister of Delhi and will continue in office.

Reportedly, the ED reached the CM’s house at 6:30 PM, arrested him at 8:57 PM, and he was escorted to the ED headquarters just before midnight. All electronics belonging to his family members were seized.

According to Delhi Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj, the ED did not find any substantial evidence related to the case.

Outside the CM’s residence, there was high drama as protesters supporting him were being detained by the Delhi police. Several senior AAP leaders had reached the location to join the protest.

The tension escalated further as the Congress joined the scene. AAP and Congress have entered a 4-3 seat-sharing pact in Delhi under the INDIA alliance.

Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely remarked, "They have arrested Mr. Kejriwal so that he cannot campaign, frozen the accounts of the Congress, and arrested Hemant Soren all before the election to weaken the opposition."

He emphasized the need for the country to stand against such actions by the BJP, strengthening the partnership between AAP and Congress under the INDIA alliance.

Opposition across the country has come out in support of the CM, condemning the timing of the arrest as unconstitutional and calling for the Election Commission to intervene.

Reporting: Satvika Mahajan
Videography: Sushil Kumar Verma
Production: Kanishkaa Balachandran

#arvindkejriwal #kejriwal #aap #aamaadmiparty

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