Kurukshetra: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) party workers led by its state president Dr Sushil Gupta and vice-president Anurag Dhanda gathered near Chief Minister Nayab Saini’s residence in Sector 3 in the presence of heavy police forces. The Haryana unit of the Party workers staged a protest against the arrest of party supremo Arvind Kejriwal when police used water cannons and lathi-charged to disperse the protestors who tried to gherao Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini’s residence in Kurukshetra. After the Delhi chief minister’s arrest on Thursday evening, the party had issued a call for nationwide protests against the ‘arbitrary’ action during the Lok Sabha election declared by the government.
SP Surinder Singh Bhoria said that police had given no permission for the protest, even then an open ground near the chief minister’s residence was designated as a procession site. SP said, when they attempted to breach the barricades and gherao the residence, police used mild force and used water cannons to disperse them. A few of them were taken in custody and later released. At least 16 MLRs have been issued for injuries to the cops, including a DSP-level officer. We are gathering details and appropriate action will be taken against the protestors.
Meanwhile, AAP alleged that both Anurag Dhanda and Sushil Gupta, who is also the Lok Sabha candidate of the INDIA bloc from Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat also received injuries in the police action. In several videos shared by the AAP party, Dhanda was seen bleeding on the right side of his head, while Gupta was unable to walk and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Former minister and Congress leader Ashok Arora, whose Congress party is having alliance with AAP for the parliamentary polls, visited LNJP Hospital in Kurukshetra in the evening to see those senior party leaders and other party workers injured in clashes. Talking to media persons Ashok Arora said, at least 40 AAP party workers sustained injuries in police action and most of the injured received injuries in clashes left for their homes after the first aid, whereas among injured a person sustained severe injuries was referred to the PGIMER Chandigarh. According to eyewitnesses, though it was a peaceful protest but the police used lathicharge.
Meanwhile, the Congress leaders allege that the arrest of Kejriwal, AAP leader is completely ‘illegal and undemocratic’, under a conspiracy on the eve of Lok Sabha elections blaming Union government resorting to political vendetta and fair elections are necessary for a healthy democracy, accusing the BJP-led Union government of constantly targeting the opposition and sent to jail without proving their guilt. They blamed the action taken against Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, an ally of the India Alliance, as absolutely wrong and misuse of government agencies. They said that Delhi CM’s arrest in an excise policy-linked money laundering case was unfortunate but not surprising alleging the ‘dictatorial regime was making a mockery of the constitutional norms’. AAP’s Haryana unit president Sushil Gupta said, this is a black day for democracy, and this period is an undeclared emergency created by BJP scared of the INDIA alliance, is conspiring to stop Kejriwal. He said, pressure is being put on him to separate from the INDIA alliance, but BJP does not know that the entire country stands with Kejriwal.
