Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with his cabinet colleague Rakhi Birla and AAP workers during a dharna demanding action against police personnel for alleged dereliction of duty near Rail Bhavan in New Delhi.
After spending the night sleeping on a road in the heart Delhi, Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal woke up to rain and chilly winds this morning but vowed to escalate his sit-in protest against a police force that he describes as "compromised." (
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Mr Kejriwal, 45, warned, "I said 10 days, but it was a way of saying that the protest is indefinite. If the central government does not agree to our demands by January 26, then we will fill Rajpath (the central boulevard in the heart of central Delhi) with lakhs of people." (
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This morning, Chief Minister refused the Delhi Police's advice to shift his protest to another site, Jantar Mantar. "Who is the chief minister? Sushil Kumar Shinde or I? The chief minister decides where to sit, not the home minister," he told reporters. (
Home Minister won't decide where Delhi Chief Minister will sit, says Kejriwal)
Mr Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party want the control of the Delhi police to be transferred from the union home ministry to the Delhi government, a demand made by earlier chief ministers as well. He is also insistent that five policemen must be suspended immediately for failing to make arrests based on the orders of his minister. (
Not going anywhere, get used to it, says Arvind Kejriwal at protest site: latest developments)
Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti has been accused of vigilantism after he and his supporters detained four Ugandan women on suspicion they were engaged in prostitution.
Mr Kejriwal controversially declared himself an "anarchist" on Monday as he defied police lines and barricades to reach a place near the home ministry in central New Delhi, a high-security zone that houses the parliament, various ministries and the President's home. (
AAP ki sarkaar on the street: game-changer or gimmickry?)
"We will continue our protest. How can Home Minister (Sushil Kumar) Shinde sleep when so many crimes are happening in Delhi? When women are unsafe in the city? We won't negotiate," Mr Kejriwal told reporters, making it clear that he will not re-locate his protest to Jantar Mantar, the designated spot for public protests in Delhi.
Police have barricaded off the area around the protest site, meaning the thousands of supporters that AAP is trying to mobilise in support of the protest will face difficulties reaching him. (
AAP leader Ashutosh explains why Delhi must bear with the protests)
If the demonstration continues, it risks disrupting the annual Republic Day parade on Sunday when the country's military might is displayed along the road leading to Rashtrapati Bhavan.