Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had a narrow escape on Tuesday after a 40-year-old man threw chilli powder at him outside the Chief Minister’s chamber on the third floor of the high security Delhi Secretariat when the CM was leaving for lunch.
The man, Anil Kumar, was detained, said police, adding that he was later handed over to IP Estate police station of Central district. A case has been filed against him.
Addressing the media immediately after the incident, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader termed the attack as politically motivated. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said it would not be cowed down by these petty tactics by the BJP.
Delhi BJP unit president Manoj Tiwari said, “Such incidents cannot be tolerated or justified by anybody and called for a high-level probe.”
Kumar was targeting the bespectacled CM’s eyes, officials said. His spectacles broke but his eyes seemed to have been spared any damage, they added.
Kumar, whose Aadhaar card has been recovered, brought the chilli powder to the secretariat in packets of ‘khaini’ (chewing tobacco), they said. After throwing chilli powder at Kejriwal, Kumar threatened to shoot him after he comes out of jail, an official recounted.
AAP’s national spokesperson Raghav Chadha, who was behind Kejriwal when the incident took place, tweeted, “Was right behind CM @ArvindKejriwal at the Secretariat when he was suddenly attacked on 3rd floor right outside his office. Shocking lapse of security. Is Delhi Police’s incompetent to protect an elected CM?
“While today just the CM’s glasses fell to the floor and broke, an unacceptable security lapse nonetheless. Imagine if attacker were to be wielding a more dangerous weapon. Who were to have prevented a tragedy from occurring?” Sisodia told reporters.
“Recently BJP Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari reached near stage during the inauguration of signature bridge.
BJP in collusion with Delhi Police is hatching a conspiracy to attack the chief minister,” he told reporters.”We are not going to be cowed down by BJP’S petty tactics,” he added.
AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj accused the BJP for the attack. “The BJP is behind the attack and the accused are being aided by the Modi Government,” he alleged.
Officials close to Kejriwal accused the Delhi Police of being lax in providing him security and alleged that this was the third attempt to harm him in less than a month.
The AAP alleged that water bottles were thrown at Kejriwal by Tiwari at the inauguration ceremony of Signature Bridge earlier this month.
“Around the time of Dussehra, an unidentified man had barged inside Kejriwal’s residence and had tried to attack the CM,” Bhardwaj added.
In a statement issued later, the Delhi Police said the man is a resident of Nairana in South-west Delhi.
“There was no security breach as the accused had an authorised entry and he was promptly pinned down by the Delhi Police personnel who were standing close to the CM”, said the Additional DCP.
