NEW DELHI (AP) 鈥 Indian police detained dozens of opposition protesters Tuesday to stop them from marching to Prime Minister Narendra Modi鈥檚 residence to demand the release of their leader and top elected official of New Delhi arrested last week in a bribery case.
Nearly 300 supporters of Arvind Kejriwal gathered at India鈥檚 Parliament House to begin their march. Policemen, some in riot gear, surrounded the protesters and detained some.
鈥淟ong Live Kejriwal鈥 protesters chanted while being dragged and bundled into buses and driven away by the police. They are likely to be released later in the day.
鈥淭his is a dictatorship. If someone is doing good for the public of Delhi, why arrest such a person?鈥 Rubina Parveen, a protester, told The Associated Press. "Our voices are muzzled. The public is very angry ... If a good leader is sent to jail, then what will happen to the common public? she said.
Authorities have since banned the assembly of four or more people in the area that houses almost all key government buildings.
Kejriwal, one of the country鈥檚 most consequential politicians of the past decade and a top rival of Modi's, was arrested on March 21. He and his Aaam Admi Party, or Common Man鈥檚 Party, are accused of accepting 1 billion rupees ($12 million) in bribes from liquor contractors nearly two years ago.
The party denied the accusations, saying they are fabricated by the federal agency, controlled by Modi鈥檚 government.
Kejriwal鈥檚 AAP is part of a broad , the main challenger to Modi鈥檚 ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the
Hundreds of Kejriwal鈥檚 supporters have been holding protests since his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate, the federal agency that probes economic offenses.
Kejriwal was taken into custody for seven days following a court order on Friday. His party said he would remain Delhi鈥檚 chief minister as it takes the case to court.
The federal agency accused Kejriwal of being the 鈥渒ingpin and key conspirator鈥 in the liquor bribery case. Kejriwal has refuted the allegations and accused the directorate of 鈥渕anipulating investigative agencies for political motives鈥.
In the lead-up to the general election , India鈥檚 opposition parties have accused the government of misusing its power to harass and weaken its political opponents, pointing to a spree of raids, arrests and corruption investigations against key opposition figures.
Meanwhile, some probes against former opposition leaders who later defected to Modi鈥檚 BJP have been dropped.
BJP denies targeting the opposition and says law enforcement agencies act independently.
