Water cannons, lathi-charge against AAP workers protesting Kejriwal's arrest in Haryana

In Kurukshetra, AAP workers demonstrated near Chief Minister Saini's residence. When they attempted to breach the barricades and gherao the CM's residence, police lathi-charged them and used water cannons to disperse them.

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

After Kejriwal's arrest Thursday evening, the AAP issued a nationwide call for protests against the BJP.

AAP workers in various cities raised slogans against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging the saffron party was opposed to the “growing popularity” of Kejriwal.

In Kurukshetra, Haryana, AAP workers demonstrated near Chief Minister Saini's residence. When they attempted to breach the barricades and gherao the CM's residence, police lathi-charged them and used water cannons to disperse them.

At the protest site in Punjab's Mohali, AAP workers said some of them were injured when a water cannon was used.

Sukhjinder Singh, an 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 an 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 as a murder of democracy.

Arora told PTI that the BJP would face backlash from the people for this action.

He said AAP workers wanted to move towards the Punjab BJP office in Chandigarh when water cannons were used against them and they were stopped.

AAP workers in Mohali 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 the presence of some Punjab ministers, staged a demonstration on the Mohali-Chandigarh border.

Speaking to reporters, Jouramajra said, "What Kejriwal is doing for Delhi and Punjab, the 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.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday night in connection with a money laundering case linked to the excise policy in Delhi.

Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann condemned Kejriwal’s arrest, asserting that while the Centre could imprison him physically, it could not confine his ideas.

Mann vowed that the AAP would stand firmly behind Kejriwal.