Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday said it was unsure if Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is safe in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody. AAP leader Atishi said Kejriwal is a sitting chief minister who has been given Z+ security. She said they are not sure if he is safe in custody. She said they are not sure who is going to him with what in their hands.

She added Kejriwal’s Z+ security has been removed. Atishi added this is a big safety issue and the party wants to know if ED is keeping the chief minister’s security details intact. The AAP Minister hit out at Modi government for Kejriwal’s arrest after the announcement of Lok Sabha elections. She said BJP was responsible for getting Kejriwal arrested because BJP is scared of Kejriwal as he is the only leader who can challenge them and defeat them.

Atishi said she wanted to tell BJP that Kejriwal is a leader who left his income tax job to serve the people. She added Kejriwal is not a person but a thought. Atishi pointed out that the Delhi chief minister is an inspiration. She said if one Kejriwal is arrested, then thousands of Kejriwals will hit the streets to support their beloved leader and save democracy.

Atishi said AAP leaders have been arrested one after other because of BJP’s fear of defeat. She was of the opinion that the charges against a leader are dropped if they join the BJP. She said if the leader denies joining the BJP then they are tortured.

She added big companies are being threatened using CBI and ED and extorted using electoral bonds. She added Hemant Soren was arrested on one side, and on the other side Congress’ bank account was seized. Atishi said attempts were being made to weaken the opposition and steal the election.

India’s largest road bridge being constructed over the Koshi River between Bheja and Bakaur in Bihar’s Supaul district collapsed on Friday morning, resulting in the death of one person and injured nine.

According to reports, the 10.2 km bridge was being constructed by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) at a cost of Rs 984 crore. Two companies namely Gammon India and Trans Rail Lighting Limited were jointly overseeing its construction.

Speaking to reporters, NHAI Regional Officer YB Singh, said that the bridge has 171 piers, and the span between piers 153 and 154 collapsed.

Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha, speaking on the matter, said that an inquiry has been ordered and action will be taken against those responsible for the incident.

An accident has occurred on an under-construction bridge over the Kosi River. The portion of that bridge fell which led to the death of 1 person and 10 injured. The Deputy CM’s officials have spoken to the district officer. The deceased family will get Rs 10 lakh through related agencies, he announced. A full-fledged investigation is required to find who is the main culprit, he asserted.

Supaul District Magistrate Kaushal Kumar, speaking to media, said the injured are undergoing treatment at the district hospital. Today an unfortunate incident has happened wherein an under-construction span has collapsed, he added. As per the report, a total of 10 labourers were trapped in the incident and all were rescued. Unfortunately, one person died on the way to the hospital and the other 9 are out of danger with minor injuries. Adequate compensation for the deceased as well as injured victims is being arranged, he further added. 

Kumar said three eminent bridge experts A.K. Srivastava, Ex-ADG MORTH (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways), Mahesh Tandon and G.L. Verma, have reached the site to assess the reason for the accident and taken necessary remedial measures. Senior officials of NHAI (National Highway Authority of India) Anil Choudhary, Member (Projects) have rushed to the site to take immediate action on the matter, he added.

Social activist Anna Hazare, who led the Lokpal movement alongside Arvind Kejriwal in the early 2010s, said today that Kejriwal was detained by the Enforcement Directorate due to his own deeds.

The Maharashtra social activist, who had come to represent the anti-corruption movement, expressed his displeasure with Arvind Kejriwal. Anna Hazare said, they used to work against alcohol and he was now creating a policy for the same.

In a video shared on social media, Anna Hazare could be heard saying, he is very upset that Arvind Kejriwal, who used to work with me, raise his voice against liquor, is now making liquor policies. His arrest is because of his own deeds, said Hazare.

In order to force the Congress government in the Central to appoint an anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal, Hazare and Kejriwal had observed numerous fasts .

The two leaders had garnered the support of lakhs of people. But once the rally fizzled out, Kejriwal founded the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alongside a number of other activists from the nonprofit India Against Corruption.

Hazare, who had previously insisted that the protest was non-political, had voiced his displeasure with Kejriwal’s decision to form the AAP.

In an effort to expose the purported corruption of the Congress government at the time, Arvind Kejriwal joined the Anna movement in 2011. After that, he became popular, founded his own political party, and contested for chief minister’s office in 2012.

Meanwhile, in a money laundering case involving excise policies, the Enforcement Directorate detained Kejriwal on Thursday night. In India, this is the first arrest of a chief minister in office.

According to the Aam Aadmi Party, Arvind Kejriwal would not step down from his position and continue to lead the government from behind bars. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party has called for his resignation due to moral concerns.

After searching his home for two hours on Thursday night, Kejriwal was taken into custody by a 10-member ED team.

After Kejriwal ignored nine summonses, the agency took action against him.