India starts protesting over Manish Sisodia’s arrest

• Manish Sisodia’s arrest by the CBI for alleged corruption.
• Led to widespread protests by members of the ruling party in Delhi.
• AAP and the BJP have clashed on a number of issues, with the AAP accusing the BJP of corruption.

The arrest of a key politician Manish Sisodia for alleged corruption has led to widespread protests by members of the ruling party in Delhi, the capital of India.

Manish Sisodia, Delhi’s deputy chief minister, was arrested on Sunday by a federal agency over alleged anomalies in a liquor policy in the city.

The claims are refuted by him and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Mr. Sisodia was taken into detention for five days on Monday by a court.

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in India, Mr. Sisodia was detained in connection with an inquiry into Delhi’s liquor policy, which saw the opening of new liquor stores that were eventually forced to close after the Delhi government abandoned the program.

“He gave evasive replies and did not co-operate [with] the investigation despite being confronted with evidence to the contrary,” it said on Sunday.

But the AAP has said that Mr. Sisodia is innocent and that his arrest was the result of “dirty politics”.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is also the biggest opposition party in Delhi, is the federal government to whom the CBI answers.

AAP protesters are attempting to march from their party’s headquarters in Delhi to the CBI court and the BJP office. Videos depict police pushing demonstrators into a pack and detaining some of them. There are also protests over Mr. Sisodia’s arrest being heard.

Many important routes have been shut off, and there are very large police teams stationed across the capital.

In Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab state, where the AAP is in control, protests are also being held. Mumbai, Bengaluru (Bangalore), Bhopal, among other locations, have also seen the start of protests.

In Delhi, the AAP and the BJP have clashed on a number of issues.

The AAP claims that the BJP utilizes federal institutions to obstruct its efforts, while the BJP has regularly accused the AAP of corruption.

Satyendra Jain, the health minister for Delhi, was detained last year on suspicion of money laundering. He has denied the accusations, but a Delhi judge dismissed his request for bail, so he remains in jail.

Issues of corruption are a delicate matter for the AAP, which began more than 10 years ago from a strong movement against corruption.

In addition to being in charge in Delhi and Punjab, it is gearing up to run in additional state elections this year in an effort to establish itself as a significant opposition force to the BJP.

After being interrogated at the CBI headquarters for around eight hours on Sunday evening, Mr. Sisodia was taken into custody.

He had visited Raj Ghat with other AAP representatives before arriving at the office to pay his respects at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial.

He had also pleaded with party members to look after his family in a speech, warning that he “may have to go to jail for seven-eight months.”

We will take care of your family Manish, don’t worry,” AAP leader and Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted following his incarceration.

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Manish Sisodia, deputy chief minister of Delhi, has been detained on charges of corruption

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