AAP-BJP clashes: 14 arrested, FIR against Ashutosh, Shazia

Charges of rioting, obstructing a public servant from performing his duty and damaging public property have been slapped against them

Top AAP leaders Ashutosh and Shazia Ilmi have been named in an FIR in which charges of rioting and damage to public property have been included, raising the possibility of their arrest while 14 party workers were arrested in connection with the clashes outside the BJP headquarters here.

 

The FIR was lodged at Parliament Street Police Station last night against the AAP protesters and it included names of Ashutosh and Ilmi who were at the site of clashes yesterday.

 

Police had initially detained 33 people out of which 14 were arrested late last night while others were allowed to go.

 

"All those identifiable and present at the protest site have been named in the FIR," said a senior Delhi police official. Those arrested will be produced before a local court here in the afternoon.

 

28 people, including 13 AAP activists and 10 BJP supporters, were injured in the clashes, police said.

 

Ilmi accused the Delhi Police of targeting the AAP and wondered why no action was being taken against BJP activists.

 

"Yesterday, we got to see the discrimination of Delhi Police, which joined BJP to disperse AAP supporters staging silent protest. Police could not see bricks, stones and chairs being thrown from the inside of BJP Headquarter...They could only see people much later retaliating. Police were protecting BJP supporters," Ilmi charged.

Police have termed the AAP protest as completely illegal as no prior permission was sought by the party.

 

Ashutosh also accused Delhi police of bias against AAP workers.

 

"AAP supporters were injured in the clash. BJP leaders beat up our supporters. Delhi Police takes action when flower pots at BJP office were damaged but they didn't take action when our supporters were injured," he charged.

 

Police said they have got the entire sequence of events videographed. Senior officials said more arrests are likely in the case.

 

AAP workers had yesterday fought pitched battles with BJP activists outside the saffron party headquarters here hours after party leader Arvind Kejriwal was detained briefly in Gujarat.

 

Kejriwal, who began a 4-day tour of Gujarat yesterday, was detained for alleged violation of the model code of conduct by travelling in a long carcade. Shortly later, he was allowed to go.

 

The rival sides had attacked each other indulging in pelting of stones. Plastic chairs were hurled from inside BJP office on the protesters outside.Police had used water canons to disperse the warring activists.

 

In Lucknow, workers of Aam Aadmi Party, armed with brooms, had clashed with lathi-wielding activists of BJP and fought pitched street battles outside BJP office on Vidhan Sabha Marg in protest against detention of Kejriwal.

 

Around three dozen AAP workers had staged a demonstration outside the BJP headquarters and allegedly attacked the saffron party office with bricks, drawing retaliation as BJP workers, carrying canes, took to the streets.  

 

Kejriwal had yesterday accused the BJP of instigating violence in front of its headquarters in Delhi even as he apologised for some AAP activists "retaliating" while protesting his detention.

 

Kejriwal claimed that AAP workers were first attacked by BJP supporters. Some of the agitated AAP workers had responded by pelting "two or three stones".

 

"I am sorry for the mistakes committed by the AAP workers. They should not have resorted to violence on my detention," he said.