Heavy traffic jams were witnessed in several parts of the national capital on Sunday following protests by AAP workers against the CBI summoning Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in an excise policy matter. Traffic jams were observed at protest sites at Anand Vihar Terminal, ITO Chowk, Mukarba Chowk, Peera Garhi Chowk, Lado Sarai Chowk, Crowne Plaza Chowk, Dwarka Mod Sector 6 and Sector 2 intersection, Pacific Wala Chowk Subhash Nagar Mod, Prem Wari intersection Ring . Road, New Delhi Railway Station Ajmeri Gate Side, Bada Hanuman Mandir, Karol Bagh Chowk, IIT Crossing, ISBT Kashmiri Gate, Raj Ghat and Near NH 24 Durga Mandi Ghazipur.
Due to AAP’s protest, the queue of vehicles was not able to move even an inch. Police officers, with the traffic unit deployed at several places, are persuading the protesters to move off the roads and allow vehicular traffic.
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“We have deployed adequate force at these places. But the protesters are on dharna, so we are persuading them to move as they are causing huge traffic jams. If they are still not cooperating, we will evict them from the spot. Removing.” a senior police officer said.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police has beefed up security outside the CBI headquarters as Kejriwal appeared before the agency on Sunday in connection with alleged irregularities in the now-cancelled excise policy, officials said.
He said the force has deployed over 1,000 security personnel, including paramilitary forces, outside the CBI headquarters and Section 144 has also been imposed in the area to ensure that no more than four people gather. Security has also been tightened outside the Aam Aadmi Party office at Rouse Avenue, officials said.
Adequate number of barricades have also been put up on the roads at both these places so that AAP workers and supporters do not create any trouble, a senior police officer said.
According to a notice issued by the CBI, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had called Kejriwal to its office to answer the questions of the probe team as a witness in the Excise Police case. Kejriwal’s deputy Manish Sisodia was arrested in the case last month. AAP has termed the matter as a conspiracy against its leaders.
CBI officials said they asked Kejriwal to appear on Sunday as the offices remain closed in the area. The agency adopted the same strategy when Sisodia was called to the agency headquarters, where he was questioned for eight hours before being taken into custody.
The allegations pertain to the excise policy of the Delhi government for 2021-22. The CBI is probing allegations of bribery by liquor traders to get licences. The AAP has strongly denied these allegations, but its government later canceled the policy.
A CBI spokesperson said, “Several irregularities were committed, including modification of excise policy, giving undue advantage to licensees, exemption/reduction in license fee, extension of L-1 license without approval, etc.” The FIR was registered on August 17, 2022.
The CBI had filed a charge sheet against the seven accused on November 25 last year. It alleged in the chargesheet that the excise policy was designed to promote cartelization and monopoly at the wholesale level.