Delhi Police have registered an FIR against Arvind Kejriwal and several AAP leaders for allegedly staging a protest inside Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, a claim that has ignited a flurry of religious and political backlash.
During a protest over alleged electoral‑roll irregularities, AAP members reportedly raised political slogans inside the shrine, prompting Delhi Police to intervene and remove them. The party says its activists were forced out while wearing shoes and without covering their heads, a breach of Sikh tradition. Delhi Police, however, contends that the officers were passing through a common passage that permits footwear and that the viral footage was taken from a distance.
On Monday, a delegation of Punjab AAP MLAs, led by Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar, marched to the Akal Takht Sahib in Amritsar. They presented a memorandum to Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj demanding that the shrine summon Union Home Minister Amit Shah to explain the police action, arguing that Delhi Police operates under the Home Ministry.
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee had already filed a complaint accusing the AAP activists of violating the shrine’s sanctity, which prompted the police to launch the investigation. Meanwhile, Delhi Police officials have warned that the videos could be part of a misinformation campaign aimed at inflaming communal sentiments.
Both the police inquiry into the protest and the AAP delegation’s appeal to the Akal Takht will be examined in parallel, with the Delhi Police expected to present evidence at a court hearing slated for next month, while the Akal Takht may convene a council to decide whether to summon the Home Minister.