NEW DELHI: AAP leaders today slammed the Delhi police and the Narendra Modi-led Centre over the arrest of Delhi Law Minister Jitendra Singh Tomar, terming it "unconstitutional" and "dictatorial".
49-year-old Tomar, MLA from Trinagar and a first-time Minister, was arrested at around 11 am following investigation into a complaint by Bar Council of Delhi that he had obtained a fake law degree from the Institute of Legal Studies College in Munger in Bihar.
Senior AAP leader Kumar Vishwas pointed out that similar charges have been levelled against various BJP leaders including Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani, but no arrests have been made.
"Similar charges are levelled against various BJP leaders including (HRD Minister) Smriti Irani, Ram Shankar Katheri and Nihal Chand. I would like to ask when the Modi government will arrest them?
"Our Law Minister has appeared before the court and even his college has said that his degree is not fake as he had attended the college," Vishwas said.
"They forcibly took him from his office, shoved him on the back seat and even snatched his mobile phone. This is against the constitution and law," he said attacking Delhi police.
Terming the move "dictatorial", Ashutosh said an "emergency-like situation" had been created by the Modi government.
"They have arrested our Law minister today without any notice or summon. I have never heard something like this in my entire career as a journalist and a politician.
"Emergency like situation has been created by Modi government. This is what he had done in Gujarat and the same he is doing here today. This is a complete dictatorship and this is against democracy. I want to ask why Tomar was treated as a terrorist and arrested," he asked.
Delhi Assembly Speaker, Ram Niwas Goel complained that Delhi police has not informed him about Tomar's arrest.
"They should have informed me about the arrest beforehand, but I was not informed," he said.
AAP's national spokesman Sanjay Singh said, "The Law Minister was arrested without any summon or notice. He was treated like a serious offender. I don't understand what Delhi police and Modi government is trying to do."