AAP state chief, workers detained in Gurgaon, freed

The Haryana party chief of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Naveen Jaihind, was detained on Tuesday along with 10 party workers before they could start a protest march towards Tau Devi Lal Stadium, the venue for the inaugural function of Haryana’s golden jubilee celebrations. Protestors included Naresh Balyan, AAP MLA from Uttam Nagar in Delhi, and local party leaders.

A protest march of more than 1,000 party workers led by Jaihind was scheduled to start at 3pm from a banquet hall at Sector 39, located two km from the stadium. However, before his arrival at the protest venue, Jaihind and the party workers were detained by the police at the Rajindra Park Police Station at 2pm for ‘security reasons’.

The party workers were kept there for more than an hour before being released. Police said they have not registered a case in the matter.

Jaihind finally and party’s chief spokesperson R S Rathee addressed the party workers near the banquet hall around 4.30pm and claimed the police had acted on the BJP’s government’s orders, to prevent them from raising their issues.

He also criticised the expenditure incurred on the golden jubilee celebrations and said it should have been channelized towards developmental work.

“The condition of farmers, infrastructure in hospitals, schools and colleges, and law and order are all in disarray across the state. The celebrations are a politicised move and a waste of government money. Instead the money should have been used to push economic growth and bring prosperity,” Jaihind said.

Party workers also held placards and shouted slogans on issues such as pending compensation to 1984 riot victims, low yield in rice cultivation, water crisis and ‘politicising cows for vote gains’.

Around 5pm, the party workers assembled again for another march. However, as soon as it started the police barricaded the area and put all the workers in buses. They stopped the march saying that prohibitory orders under Section 144 were in place against assembly of more than five people.

After being detained for over two hours, the party workers were released without any case being registered.