Mumbai police on Sunday detained several activists of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) who staged a protest in the Khar area against Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha, following his defection to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
According to Preeti Sharma Menon, president of the party’s Mumbai unit, police action disrupted what she described as a peaceful demonstration. She alleged that local leader Ruben Mascharanhas was among those detained.
A Khar police official confirmed that Mascharanhas and a few others had been taken to the police station, but did not provide further details.
"@mumbaipolice has no other work but to guard Raghav Chaddha's Mumbai residence. @aapmumbai volunteers were prevented from protesting peacefully against the GADDAR. Ruben has been detained at the Khar Police Station. But BJP is allowed to block roads at their whim," Menon said.
The AAP’s Mumbai unit had announced plans to protest in Khar against Chadha and six other Rajya Sabha members who recently joined the BJP.
"Without any detention order or any written communication, I have been taken to the Khar Police Station.
Why is @MumbaiPolice so scared of @AAPMumbai's peaceful protest against 'Gaddar' Raghav Chaddha and Sandeep Pathak? We are @ArvindKejriwal's soldiers, we are not going to be cowed down," Mascharanhas said in another post.
The development follows a setback for the party led by Arvind Kejriwal. On Friday, seven of its Rajya Sabha members, including Chadha, Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak, resigned from the party.
Chadha said the group had merged with the BJP, alleging that the AAP had deviated from its founding principles, values and core ideals.
(With inputs from PTI)