New Delhi: A man threw red pepper powder at Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal inside the Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday, reports said.The man, identified as Anil Kumar, has been detained. Kumar reportedly brought the chilli powder to the secretariat in packets of khaini or chewing tobacco, officials said.The attack took place outside the chief minister’s chamber on the third floor when he was leaving for lunch. The chief minister’s spectacles broke but his eyes were spared.Also read: Pushed to the Brink, Arvind Kejriwal Takes His Battle to the StreetsThe Aam Aadmi Party condemned the attack on their leader, saying it was “politically motivated”. “The BJP is behind the attack and the accused are being aided by the Modi government,” AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said.#JustIn: CCTV footage of attack..#ArvindKejriwal. @DelhiPolice questioning the accused.@IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/uZKsOznzmT— Mahender Singh (@mahendermanral) November 20, 2018Meanwhile, BJP’s Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari condemned the attack and called for a high-level probe.Officials close to Kejriwal accused the Delhi police of being lax in providing security to the chief minister, alleging that this was the third attempt to harm him in less than a month. Earlier this month, water bottles were thrown at the AAP chief during inauguration of the Signature Bridge. An unidentified man had earlier barged into Kejriwal’s house and tried to attack him, the AAP spokesperson said.This is not the first time the Delhi chief minister was attacked in public.Also read: ‘Assault’ on Delhi Chief Secretary: Police Raid Kejriwal’s Residence to Recover CCTV FootageIn April 2014, Kejriwal was slapped by an auto driver during a road show in Delhi. In January 2016, an activist with the Aam Aadmi Sena (AAS), a breakaway faction of the AAP, had thrown ink and papers at Kejriwal.In April 2016, another AAS activist had hurled a shoe at the chief minister during announcement of the odd-even system in Delhi.In October 2016, an ABVP leader threw ink on the Delhi chief minister in Bikaner in Rajasthan, where he had gone to attend a condolence meet at the home of a local party leader.(With inputs from PTI)
