New Delhi, Feb 2 (IANS): Tensions between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters flared up once again in the national capital, resulting in the detention of over 200 workers of both the parties on Friday when they 'marched' towards each other's offices on the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, leading to widespread traffic disruptions in central Delhi.
ED had issued a notice to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to question him on the now-scrapped excise policy matter.
Kejriwal, however, did not appear before the ED even after the fifth summon.
The AAP staged a protest near the BJP office.
The party also staged a demonstration at the old headquarters of BJP at 11 Ashoka Road a few years ago. However, at that time, the founding members of AAP, who had then protested at the BJP office, left the AAP following some "serious differences" with Kejriwal.
Some of them even left politics, while some leaders like Shazia Ilmi joined BJP.
The roots of the recent confrontation can be traced back to March 5, 2014, when 14 AAP members, including leaders, former journalist Ashutosh (then party member) and Shazia Ilmi, were arrested following clashes outside the BJP national headquarters. The altercation left 28 people injured, including 13 AAP activists and 10 BJP supporters.
The clashes were sparked by protests against the detention of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal in Gujarat on March 4, 2014.
Kejriwal had been detained for alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct, and was later released.
This time around, the two political parties are protesting on different issues.
The AAP protested against alleged rigging in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation's mayoral elections, while the BJP raised concerns about corruption in the Kejriwal-led Delhi government. The Delhi Police, in an effort to prevent a repeat of the violent clashes witnessed last year, intervened to detain over 200 workers from both parties.
The workers were marching towards each other's party offices on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, leading to significant traffic disruptions and long queues of vehicles in the ITO area.
"At 2 p.m., around 150 workers of AAP and about 60 BJP workers were detained. They have been taken to different police stations," said a senior police officer.
To maintain order, two units of paramilitary forces, including female staff and personnel from Delhi Police, were deployed at DDU Marg, equipped with anti-riot gear.
Additional police personnel were stationed in the vicinity of ITO and DDU Marg, armed with batons to manage and control potential outbreaks of violence.
The AAP workers started to march towards the BJP office just after AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal left after addressing the workers at the party office, prompting immediate police action and detention of workers and dispersing the crowd.