Anil Kumar Sharma, the man who attacked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with chilli powder on Tuesday, allegedly said that the latter has been “fooling the public for nine years”, sources said.

On being asked the reason for his action, the 40-year-old accused said: “He [Arvind Kejriwal] has been here for four years [in office]....he is making a true patriot a pawn.” A senior police officer said Anil was incoherent in his answer about who he referred to as “pawn”.

Job in Gurugram

Talking about the attack, he said “I did what I could do… whatever is in my power”. The accused said he worked as an inventory control executive at a private firm in Gurugram and lived as a paying guest in Raja Garden.

The police officer said they have not contacted Anil’s family as he is constantly changing his statements and retracting from them. “He is saying something and then on being is counter questioned, he is saying something else. He is extremely incoherent,” the officer said. During his interrogation, Anil claimed that he was not affiliated to any political party, the police said.

On his Facebook page, the accused has shared several posts and letters. In a letter dated August 2017, Anil wrote that people are fed up with Mr. Kejriwal and his Ministers and will show them the same in the next elections. In another post dated November 6, Anil wrote that “Bricks engraved with Ram’s name should be put up in trains and trucks and work should begin fast”.

Case registered

The Aam Aadmi Party government accused the police of not taking cognisance of the incident. The police, on the other hand, said no formal complaint was lodged in connection with the case and they took suo motu cognisance and registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The accused was interrogated by officers of the Intelligence Bureau, Special Cell and local police because he had threatened Mr. Kejriwal, said Additional Public Relations Officer of Delhi Police, Anil Mittal.

Cognisable offence

“Since no formal complaint has been received from the Chief Minister Secretariat, after preliminary enquiry conducted so far, a cognisable offence is prima facie made out. A case under Section 186 [obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions], 332 [voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty], 353 [assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty], 506 [punishment for criminal intimidation] of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at IP Estate Police Station,” said Mr. Mittal.

“The case has been taken up for investigation and the accused, Anil Sharma, has been arrested. He has been found to be unstable and incoherent,” he added.