The ongoing row between the AAP and the BJP over Kashmiri Pandits and the movie "The Kashmiri Files" turned violent on Wednesday with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind's official residence being vandalised by BJP's youth wing, according to police.
Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers, including its national president Tejasvi Surya, were protesting outside the Chief Minister's residence before the violence.
In a date-stamped CCTV footage from the residence, released by the AAP, Mr. Surya can be seen part of a group, many of them wearing saffron scarves or headgear, that kicked and broke a boom barrier outside the front gate and also banged on the gate of Mr. Kejriwal's residence. A man can be seen climbing atop the gate too.
In photos shared by the party, the black colour front gate was vandalised with red paint and a CCTV camera was broken.
AAP senior leader Manish Sisodia said that the BJP wants to kill Mr. Kejriwal as they cannot defeat him electorally. “After seeing AAP’s thumping victory in Punjab and BJP getting zero seats, the BJP has gotten so frustrated that it wants to murder Arvind Kejriwal," Mr. Sisodia said.
Delhi Police has registered an FIR against BJYM workers under IPC sections pertaining to voluntarily obstructing a public servant, assault or criminal force on a public servant and others.
Mr. Sisodia said that in the presence of police, BJP’s goons tried to break into the residence. The AAP leader termed it as a planned attack and also tore into the Delhi Police and said it was done under "police protection".
"Can goons reach the door of any chief minister in this country? This happened because of a conspiracy. BJP with the help of police want to execute his murder," he said.
The Delhi Police is under the control of the Central government and not the AAP-led Delhi government.
DCP (North Delhi) Sagar Singh Kalsi said that around 8 to 9 workers have been identified through CCTV footage analysis and multiple police teams have been deployed to arrest them. A senior police officer said that appropriate legal action will be taken against all persons seen in the CCTV footage, including Mr. Surya.
From 11:30 a.m., a dharna was started by BJYM and around 150 to 200 protestors were agitating near the CM's residence against his remarks in the Assembly regarding Kashmir Files. The DCP said that at around 1 p.m., some of the protestors breached two barricades and reached outside the CM's house where they created ruckus, shouted slogans, etc.
"They were carrying a small box of paint from which they threw paint outside the door. In the imbroglio, a boom barrier arm was also found vandalised as also a CCTV camera," the DCP said. Police added that they were immediately removed from the spot and around 70 persons were detained.
Will continue protest
Mr. Surya said the BJP’s youth wing had staged a demonstration outside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence against his comments which, he alleged, sought to “belittle the pain of the Kashmiri Pandit community” and hurt the sentiments of the entire Hindu community.
“Our protests will continue till he tenders an unconditional apology for this,” Mr. Surya told reporters. This, even as the BJP’s Delhi unit sought to distance itself from the incident and accused AAP leaders of “having lost their mental balance.”
“Manish Sisodia and people from the Aam Aadmi Party seem to have lost their mental balance. Everything that happens around them seems to be a conspiracy to kill Arvind Kejriwal,” Delhi BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana said.
