In a tense face-off, over 200 workers from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were detained on Friday afternoon as they marched towards each other's offices at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg in Delhi.
Delhi Police had set up elaborate arrangements with multi-layered barricades to prevent the workers from reaching their respective party offices. Approximately 150 AAP workers and 60 BJP workers were detained and transported to separate police stations in buses.
"We had already made elaborate arrangements with multi-layered barricades to stop the workers to reach to the party offices. About 150 workers from AAP and 60 from BJP have been detained and taken to separate police stations in buses," an official said, as PTI quoted.
The AAP march commenced after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann left the protest site, urging their party workers to engage in a peaceful protest and stop where the police intervened. Meanwhile, the BJP's protest, led by Delhi unit head Virendra Sachdeva, added to the tension in the area.
Security measures were intensified in central Delhi, with over 1,000 personnel deployed around ITO and DDU Marg. Two paramilitary companies, including women staff and armed Delhi Police personnel, were stationed at the DDU Marg equipped with anti-riot gear and batons to control the protestors.
The confrontation peaked around 1:45 pm, resulting in the detention of protestors who were later taken to separate police stations. Authorities stated that the detainees would be released after spending a few hours in custody. The heightened security measures were implemented in anticipation of demonstrations by both AAP and BJP members. The AAP alleged cheating in the Chandigarh mayoral polls, while the BJP staged a protest near the AAP head office, decrying "corruption" in the Arvind Kejriwal government.