In a demonstration against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday for a day-long fast.
The protest, termed ‘Samuhik Upwas,’ was also echoed in other states and among Indians abroad, with gatherings reported in various locations including Harvard Square in Boston, the Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles, outside the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, New York Times Square, Toronto, London, and Melbourne, among others.
AAP leaders stated that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann participated in a collective fast at the village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in Khatkar Kalan, Punjab.
Among those present at Jantar Mantar were senior AAP figures like Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, Deputy Speaker Rakhi Bila, and ministers Atishi, Gopal Rai, and Imran Hussain.
Gopal Rai, the AAP’s Delhi unit convener, urged people to join the fast, alleging that Kejriwal’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a case related to the Delhi excise policy-linked scam was part of a conspiracy by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to undermine the AAP. Kejriwal is currently in judicial custody until April 15.
Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last month in connection with a money laundering case linked to the excise policy. He has been remanded to judicial custody until April 15.