AAP protests against Kejriwal’s arrest in Punjab, Haryana; water cannons, lathicharge against protesters

AAP protests against Kejriwal’s arrest in Punjab, Haryana; water cannons, lathicharge against protesters

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana units of AAP staged protests against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest as police used water cannons and lathicharged protestors who tried to gherao Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini’s residence in Kurukshetra.

Following Kejriwal’s arrest Thursday evening, AAP had given a nationwide call for protest against the BJP. AAP workers raised slogans against BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in several cities and said the saffron party was against the “growing popularity” of Kejriwal.

In Haryana’s Kurukshetra, AAP workers staged a demonstration near the residence of Chief Minister Saini. As AAP workers tried to gherao the CM’s residence by breaching the barricades set up there, police lathicharged them and used water cannons to stop them.

Sukhjinder Singh, AAP worker from Patti in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district, said he had sustained an injury in his left eye. “When we tried to enter Chandigarh, the police there stopped us at the barricades which had been set up. They used water cannons and I sustained injury in my left eye. I also sustained bruises on my arms as police prevented us from marching ahead,” he said.

Punjab Minister Aman Arora, who was present at the protest site in Mohali, dubbed Kejriwal’s arrest is murder of democracy. BJP will face backlash from the country’s people for this, said Arora. He added that AAP workers wanted to move towards the Punjab BJP office in Chandigarh when water cannons were used against them and they were stopped.

In Punjab’s Mohali, AAP workers tried to enter Chandigarh in a bid to march towards the Punjab BJP office there. Police used water cannons to stop them. Punjab ministers Maan and Chetan Singh Jouramajra slammed the central government over Kejriwal’s arrest, saying it was scared of his “growing popularity” and therefore wanted to stop the “good works” done by his Delhi government.

Later, the AAP workers in presence of some Punjab ministers staged a demonstration on the Mohali-Chandigarh border. AAP workers said some of them were injured when water cannons were used against them.

Speaking to reporters, Jouramajra said, “What Kejriwal is doing for Delhi and Punjab, BJP by arresting him wants to stop him from replicating this good work in other states.” “There is anger among people of Punjab and the rest of the country. If they arrest one Kejriwal, there will be lakhs of Kejriwals on roads who will raise their voice,” he said.