NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday wrote to the Election Commission (EC) demanding reinstatement of the Punjab Police’s security cover for AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, a day after it was withdrawn by the state’s police force.
The CMs, in the letter, stated that the Punjab Police had been a reliable and crucial component of Kejriwal’s security detail and was withdrawn abruptly without consultation or justification.
Both the CMs accused the Delhi Police of operating under partisan influences. “Kejriwal’s security cannot and must not be left in the hands of a police force that is evidently compromised,” the letter read.
They alleged that the Delhi Police, which comes under the Centre, has turned a blind eye on the alleged attacks on Kejriwal in accordance with Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s order.
Later, in a press conference, Atishi and Mann, stated that a “huge conspiracy” is being hatched to kill Arvind Kejriwal through the joint efforts of the BJP and the Delhi Police.
“Kejriwal is facing attacks one after another, and BJP workers have been found involved in every attack. The Delhi Police, which is working at the behest of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has not only failed to stop the attackers, but now as part of a conspiracy, the Punjab Police deployed for the security of Arvind Kejriwal has also been removed just before the elections,” Atishi said.
In the letter to the EC, the party alleged that multiple targeted attacks on Kejriwal, including incidents of physical assault and stone pelting during a political rally, were attempted on different occasions in the last three months. The letter further said that the police “simply acted as mute spectators” and did not make an attempt to protect Kejriwal.
On January 22, The Tribune reported about a letter of Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora to Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, in which he had flagged concerns over Punjab VIPs moving in the city without intimating the local police. Yadav, in his reply, had assured Arora of cooperation in the matter.