12:23 pm: Arvind Kejriwal defended Law Minister Somnath Bharti saying the Ugandan High Commission complimented him on busting the sex racket. "There is a big sex racket going on in the area, but the policemen refused to arrest them. There is no sex racket in the area which is possible without the knowledge of the police. A woman from Uganda High Commision gave a letter to Somnath Bharti and complimented him for his efforts to stop the racket," Kejriwal said.
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12:17 pm: Criticising the Delhi Police, Arvind Kejriwal says, "One after the other rapes are happening and the Delhi Police only says that they are investigating, but they take no action." He says he has asked the Police Commissioner to suspend policemen who allegedly defied Somnath Bharti's order to arrest Ugandan women who he felt were involved in drug trafficking.
12:15 pm: Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia are now addressing people outside the Rail Bhawan on a makeshift dais.
12:12 pm: Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti says, "Our intention is to be on a dharna. We will sit on the road if need be."
12:05 pm: Delhi Police sources say that Arvind Kejriwal, along with six other Delhi ministers, can be allowed to sit on a dharna outside North Block. Sources also say that Kejriwal along with another minister may be allowed to meet Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde. Meanwhile, AAP volunteers say the ministers have been allowed to sit on a dharna at North Block.
12 noon: Arvind Kejriwal's car has now been diverted and he may take a different route to North Block.
11:49 am: The police are refusing to let Arvind Kejriwal proceed to North Block. Water canons have also been kept on standby in Central Delhi.
11:39 am: BAAP activists were demanding Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti's resignation. They have been detained and taken away from Rail Bhawan by the Delhi Police.
11:30 am: A group of BAAP protesters wearing orange caps are also protesting against Kejriwal at the Rail Bhawan.
11:25 am: Arvind Kejriwal has been stopped at Rail Bhawan while on his way to North Block. Policemen deployed in the area are speaking to him.
11:22 am: Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti says, "Delhi is suffering because of incompetence of Delhi police. We believe in 'Athithi devo bhava', people from Uganda and South Africa are welcome but wrong things shouldn't be allowed."
11:18 am: Arvind Kejriwal's cavalcade has reached Central Delhi. Kejriwal will now try to move to Parliament, from where he will move to North Block.
11:07 am: Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has said that any action that is taken against any policeman should be only after investigation.
11:05 am: The Delhi Police has deployed a total of 25 companies (1,200 policemen) in Central Delhi ahead of Kejriwal's protest.
10:53 am: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has left the Delhi Secretariat for North Block to protest against the Delhi Police. There is heavy security deployment at the North Block. All roads to North Block have also been barricaded.
Delhi Congress leader Meem Afzal has said that a dharna won't solve the issues of the people of Delhi and that Kejriwal must act as a responsible Chief Minister. "Kejriwal and his government should show some responsibility. How will a dharna help him? God has given him an opportunity to run the government and prove himself. He should not take people for granted. Delhi government is on the backfoot," Afzal said.
It is an unprecedented situation in Delhi as Kejriwal takes his fight with the Delhi Police to the Home Ministry on Monday morning. Kejriwal and his ministerial are protesting to press for the suspension of five policemen who defied Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti's order to arrest Ugandan women who he felt were involved in drug trafficking.
Extra security forces have been moved to the North block. Sources say Kejriwal is likely to be detained under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act. Prohibitory orders have been issued in Central Delhi and four metro stations have been shut on Monday morning because of Kejriwal's dharna plan.
The protest is on despite reports that the Indian Mujahideen is plotting to kidnap him to secure the release of Yaseen Bhatkal.
Kejriwal has accused the policemen of defying Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti's orders to arrest Ugandan women he felt were involved in drug trafficking. This comes even as a CCTV footage from inside AIIMS shows Bharti talking to doctors at 5 am when the medical tests were being carried out on Ugandan women he accused of being involved in a sex racket. Sources have confirmed that Bharti reached AIIMS after the fracas at Khirki extension on Thursday and asked to 'see' for himself what was going on at the hospital.
The women have filed a complaint against Bharti alleging the minister and his supporters used abusive language against them and detained them on the night of the raid. One of the Ugandan women revealed that they were assaulted by the mob accompanying Bharti. "We were returning from a party when we reached here and we saw a lot of Indian men on the road. They stopped our car, started shouting at us. We were really scared, so refused to step out. They started banging the doors of our car. When the police came, we finally stepped out of the car."
The police have filed an FIR against unknown persons for molestation and wrongful restraint after the Ugandan women complained. Police say the women will be asked to identify Bharti and his supporters. Senior Lawyer Harish Salve is likely to take up the issue before the Delhi High Court.
Another woman demanded Bharti's resignation. She said, "Police helped us because I think they were going to kill us. The way they were treating us as if we were criminals. We are not criminals. The minister who conducted the raid should be made to resign. What he's doing is not right . We just want to go to our embassy."
The minister has, however, denied the allegation saying, "I strongly deny that me or any of my supporters had any role in the violence that happened there. I do not know if court has directed filing a case against me." On Saturday, Bharti tweeted, "Will do an expose in sometime on sex racketeering in Khirki extension."
The Ministry of External Affairs has condemned the incident saying that the complaints filed will be probed. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said the incident was unacceptable. "I think it's shocking, completely unconstitutional, unacceptable. I am worried about attitude here which just because you see someone different from you put label of worst kind of social evil on them. It's completely unacceptable. What face will we show to the world that in India we have people with such narrow, such ridiculous way of treating foreigners."
Condemning the incident, MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said the matter will be investigated. "We said we condemn this incident. We also explained that action is underway and the complaints registered will be investigated. We are in touch with the Delhi Police Commissioner on this matter and we intend to take this forward."
Meanwhile, Ethiopian Ambassador Gennet Zewide said the security remains a concern. She said, "Of course we're very much concerned, our nationals are being harassed like that. It is not only a concern to African ambassadors but to everybody. I think the way it was handled, was not appropriate. It is not right and it has to be condemned. We'd like to have measures where every citizen, including our citizens of Africa, either for education or medical reason or tourism, have to feel safe."
Earlier, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had strongly defending his government and his ministers vigilante stunts. Kejriwal defended Bharti while stressing that the Delhi Police must be made answerable to the state government and not the Central government.
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