Gujarat: AAP Claims Police Illegally Raided Its Office, Searched Computers And Documents

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has claimed that the police raided its office in Gujarat's Ahmedabad and searched documents and computers. 

The AAP further said that it has proof of the "illegal" raid that it's willing to make public if Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel holds a press conference over the alleged raid. 

However, the police had denied any such raid, with the local inspector saying that he personally visited the office after the issue was raised but party officials at the office did not give any details of the raid. 

AAP leader Isudan Gadhvi claimed Ahmedabad Police raided the AAP office in Navrangpura area of Ahmedabad as soon as AAP's national convener Arvind Kejriwal landed in the city. 

Kejriwal landed in Ahmedabad on Sunday evening and he is scheduled to hold town hall meetings with auto-rickshaw drivers, businessmen, lawyers and sanitation workers on Monday and Tuesday.

Gadhvi, the AAP's national joint general secretary, in a tweet late Sunday night said, "Local police raided the AAP office in Ahmedabad as soon as Arvind Kejriwal landed here. They left after searching the office for two hours as they found nothing." 

Tagging Gadhvi's tweet, Kejriwal in a Twitter post said, "The ruling BJP has lost its senses due to the unprecedented support AAP is getting from the people of Gujarat. After Delhi, they have started raids in Gujarat too. But, just like Delhi, they have not found anything in Gujarat."

However, Navrangpura police station inspector P K Patel denied the claims saying no such raid was conducted.

"After learning about Gadhvi's tweet about the raid, I personally visited the party office on Sunday night and sought details. But the party leaders present there, including one Yagnesh, did not give any details as to who came and what exactly happened as claimed by Gadhvi," Patel told PTI on Monday.

Following these developments, AAP on Monday claimed that it has proof of the raid.

"Police conducted an illegal raid yesterday at the party's office in Ahmedabad. They forcibly entered the office and carried out searches for two hours without any warrant or court order," said AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj at a press conference in Delhi. 

He further said, "We have evidence to prove the illegal raid and searches carried out by police at our party office in Ahmedabad. Our people know the police officers who went there. We are ready to present the evidence if the Gujarat chief minister agrees to hold a press conference and answer all the questions pertaining to the raid."

Elections are slated to be held in Gujarat later this year and AAP is believed to making inroads into the state. As home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from where he stepped up to become the Prime Minister of India, it's a matter of prestige for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to retain Gujarat. The AAP and the Opposition Congress party are aiming to embarass the BJP in the upcoming assembly elections.

(With PTI inputs)