The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in connection with the alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy for 2021-22. Sisodia arrived at the heavily-barricaded CBI office in the morning for the second round of questioning in the case.
He was arrested after nearly eight hours of questioning during which his answers were not found satisfactory, officials said. Ahead of his questioning, the minister told reporters that he was not afraid of going to jail. "When I left my job as a journalist, my wife supported me. Even today, my family is standing by my side. My workers will take care of my family if I get arrested," he said.
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The minister was grilled on various aspects of the Excise policy, his alleged link with Dinesh Arora and other accused in the FIR, and details of message exchanges from multiple phones among others, officials said.
CBI investigators alleged that the minister was not cooperating in the investigation and avoiding clarifications on crucial points sought by them resulting in his arrest.
He was originally summoned last Sunday but he sought deferment of his questioning citing the ongoing Budget exercise, following which, the CBI had asked him to appear on February 26.
Earlier in the day, several Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders were detained outside of the CBI headquarters in New Delhi where Sisodia was summoned for the questioning. According to the Delhi Police around 50 people have been detained including AAP MP Sanjay Singh and Delhi Minister Gopal Rai. The leaders from the party arrived outside the headquarters in support of Sisodia.
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Reactions to the arrest
AAP leaders were quick to react to the arrest, claming that it is a "Black day for democracy." "BJP's CBI arrested the world's best education minister @msisodia in a fake case, who is shaping the future of lakhs of children. BJP has made this arrest due to political rivalry," they said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal stated that Sisodia is innocent and the arrest was "dirty politics". "...There is a lot of anger among the people due to the arrest of Manish. Everyone is watching. People are understanding everything. People will respond to this," he said.
AAP leader and MP Sanjay Singh said that minister was arrested in a "false case" and called it "height of dictatorship". “Manish Sisodia’s arrest is the height of dictatorship. Modi ji, you have not done good by arresting a good person and the best education minister. Even God will not forgive you. One day, your dictatorship will definitely end, Modi ji," he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
