The Delhi Police on Sunday detained AAP MLA Raghav Chadha and eight others when they were on the way to stage a protest outside the house of Home Minister Amit Shah, said a senior police officer.
AAP MLA Atishi was also detained on her way to meet Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal. Sanjay Bhatia, DCP (Central), said that Mr. Chadha and eight others were detained and taken to Rajender Nagar police station. Later, all of them were released.
Addressing a press conference in the evening, Ms. Atishi and Mr. Chadha said that they were raising demand for a CBI probe into an alleged scam by the BJP-ruled civic bodies to the tune of ₹2,500 crore and were detained on instructions from the Home Minister and the L-G who did not want the scam to get exposed.“This is the biggest scam in the history of Delhi,” Ms. Atishi said.
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She also alleged that to divert people’s attention from the scam, Home Minister Amit Shah has deputed civic body Mayors and BJP Councillors outside the Chief Minister’s house.
On Saturday, Delhi Police had rejected AAP’s request to hold peaceful protest outside Mr. Shah’s house, citing COVID-19 and Section 144.
In an order copy accessed by this newspaper, DCP (New Delhi) Eish Singhal has rejected Mr. Chadha’s request. The order reads that in view of the guidelines issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, Government of NCT of Delhi, all social and political gathering are prohibited up to December 31 throughout NCT of Delhi.
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Mr. Chadha said that the police illegally detained him and others quoting rule 144 and Pandemic Act but had allowed BJP Mayors to protest outside the CM’s residence.