AAP, BJP quarrel after security scare at Kejriwal's foot march

A man hurled an unidentified liquid on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal during a foot march in Savitri Nagar, south Delhi, sparking a security scare that also triggered a high-voltage political showdown between the AAP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) weeks before the critical assembly elections in the Capital.

- Alok KN Mishra and Karn Pratap Singh

The alleged accused, later identified by Delhi Police as Ashok Jha, 41, was detained from the spot, and at the time of going to print, he remained in custody.

The incident, which was caught on video by the media, triggered a face-off on two fronts—first, on the identity and allegiance of the accused, and second on the nature of the liquid.

While the AAP blamed the BJP for the incident—alleging that the accused was a "BJP functionary", and that the liquid was "spirit"—the BJP alleged that the incident was just a "spectacle" carried out by the AAP, and that the liquid in question was "just water". The BJP also contended that the accused was "one of the 10,000 bus marshals who lost their jobs in Delhi".

Delhi Police said that the liquid was water and stated they are investigating the motive.

Officers said Jha is a bus marshal posted at the Khanpur depot, but the transport department has yet to verify the claim.

To be sure, this is not the first time Kejriwal's security has been compromised. In May 2019, during a roadshow in Moti Nagar, he was slapped by a man who said he was frustrated with his policies. In 2016, ink was thrown at him at Chhatrasal Stadium.

Saturday's incident occurred at around 5.50pm at Chopal, Savitri Nagar—part of the Greater Kailash assembly constituency—when Kejriwal was taking part in the foot march while campaigning for the Delhi state polls.