Fearing Kejriwal's arrest, AAP leaders call emergency meet in Delhi

Aam Aadmi Party's Delhi convenor Gopal Rai called an emergency meeting at the party office in the national capital on Sunday fearing the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The party is apprehensive of Kejriwal's arrest, AAP sources said, according to a report by India Today.

AAP national secretary Pankaj Gupta, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi and Deputy Mayor Aaley Mohammad Iqbal and other office bearers and party leaders were a part of the emergency meeting held today.

This comes as several workers protesting against Kejriwal's CBI questioning were detained by the Delhi Police.

"Why were the cabinet ministers and MPs sitting peacefully near the CBI headquarters suddenly arrested? Why is Modi ji bent on killing democracy? A meeting of the office bearers of the organisation will be held at the party headquarters at 5 pm for further strategy," Gopal Rai tweeted.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was questioned by the CBI on Sunday in the excise policy case, amid protests by his Aam Aadmi Party which accused the agency of acting at the behest of the BJP.

While he was being questioned, several senior AAP leaders were "detained" by the Delhi Police while they were holding a sit-in at Archbishop Road against his summoning.

The detainees included Rajya Sabha MPs Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha, Delhi ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi and Kailash Gahlot, AAP spokesperson Adil Ahmad Khan, AAP general secretary Pankaj Gupta and some ministers in the Punjab government.

"Around 1,500 people have been detained or arrested by police across Delhi for staging protests. Thirty-two Delhi MLAs and 70 councillors have been arrested in the city and 20 Punjab AAP MLAs have been arrested at Delhi border," AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai claimed at a press conference, according to a PTI report.

In a five-minute video message on Twitter before arriving at the heavily fortified headquarters of the Central Bureau of Investigation at around 11 am, Kejriwal claimed that the BJP might have ordered the agency to arrest him.

(With inputs from PTI)

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