AAP Leaders Detained Amid Protests Against CBI Summons To Arvind Kejriwal

Several Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, including Punjab ministers and MLAs, Sunday alleged they were stopped from entering Delhi, as the party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal appeared before the CBI for questioning in the excise policy case. Some of them were also reportedly detained by the Delhi police. 

The party's leaders from Punjab were headed for Delhi in a show support to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was summoned by the federal agency to its office in the national capital in connection with irregularities in formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped excise policy. 

Officials said the CBI may ask the AAP chief about the policy formulation process, especially of the "untraceable" file which was earlier slated to be put before the Delhi Council of Ministers.

The ruling party in Punjab claimed that ministers Bram Shanker Jimpa, Dr Balbir Singh and Harjot Singh Bains, and MLAs Dinesh Chadha and Kuljit Randhawa were among those stopped at the Singhu border and not allowed to enter Delhi.

 "We cannot even enter our capital? @DelhiPolice not allowing my car to enter Delhi," Punjab Education Minister Harjot Bains said in a tweet. He also said that he has been "forecefully detained" by the Delhi police.

Balbir Singh, the health minister of Punjab took to Twitter and claimed that democracy was being "murdered" in the country. "The Constitution and the Supreme Court give us the right to move freely in our country & to protest peacefully. Neither is being allowed. Many of my cabinet colleagues, MLAs & volunteers have been illegally detained at badli. Shame," he tweeted.

"Cabinet Minister @BJimpaAAP MLA @dineshchadha3 MLA @MGiaspura KuljitRandhawaa detained by police while protesting against the Centre's misuse of CBI to muzzle the voice of AAP convenor & Delhi CM," AAP said in a tweet.

(With inputs from PTI)