AAP claims party's data management office in Gujarat raided; cops deny

Aam Aadmi Party leaders have claimed police raided the party's data management office in Navrangpura area of Ahmedabad soon after AAP's national convener Arvind Kejriwal landed here for a two-day visit, but found nothing.

However, the Ahmedabad police refuted the claim saying no such raid was carried out. "We learnt from social media that it is being claimed that city police raided the AAP office on Sunday. No such raid was conducted by the city police," the Ahmedabad Police said on their official Twitter handle.

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Ahead of the Assembly polls due in BJP-ruled Gujarat later this year, Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal landed in Ahmedabad on Sunday evening to hold town hall meetings with auto-rickshaw drivers, businessmen, lawyers and sanitation workers on Monday and Tuesday.

After the Ahmedabad police denied raiding the AAP office, Gujarat party unit president Gopal Italia on Monday claimed the Navrangpura police staff carried out a "search-cum-raid" at the data management office of the party's state unit at around 8.30 pm on Sunday.

"Some policemen came to our data management office to carry out a search operation-cum-raid. They told our on-duty staff that they are attached with Navrangpura police station and also showed their I-cards. One was Hitesh while another was Paras. They checked our diaries, cupboards, drawers, laptops and computers," Italia told reporters.

Asked if he had any visual evidence to prove his claims, Italia said CCTVs were not yet installed at the office as it was opened recently in view of the upcoming elections. "But, CCTVs of a bank located near our office must have captured these policemen.

The Ahmedabad police can't escape by just tweeting their denial at the behest of the ruling BJP. We want the Ahmedabad police to check those CCTVs and the mobile phone location of those two policemen," the AAP leader said.

Earlier, AAP's national joint general secretary Isudan Gadhvi in a tweet late Sunday night said, “Local police raided the AAP office in Ahmedabad as soon as Arvind Kejriwal landed here. They left after searching the office for two hours as they found nothing.”

Tagging Gadhvi's tweet, Kejriwal in a Twitter post said, “The ruling BJP has lost its senses due to the unprecedented support AAP is getting from the people of Gujarat.

After Delhi, they have started raids in Gujarat too. But, just like Delhi, they have not found anything in Gujarat.” Earlier in the day, Navrangpura police station inspector P K Patel also denied AAP's claims, saying no such raid was conducted.

“After learning about Gadhvi's tweet about the raid, I personally visited the party office on Sunday night and sought details. But the party leaders present there, including one Yagnesh, did not give any details as to who came and what exactly happened as claimed by Gadhvi,” Patel told PTI.