New Delhi:
Amid intelligence reports that a pro-Khalistan group is plotting an attack against AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, the former Delhi chief minister said on Wednesday that “God will save him” and he is destined to live as long as his “lifeline” allows.
Addressing reporters after filing his nomination for the February 5 Delhi Assembly polls from the New Delhi seat, Arvind Kejriwal responded to a question on the alleged threat to his life, saying “uparwala bachayega….”.
Before filing his nomination, Mr Kejriwal offered prayers at the Prachin Hanuman temple at Connaught Place and told reporters, “Jako Rakhe Saiyan Mar Sake Na Koye (those protected by God cannot be killed by anyone).
God is with me.” “One lives as long as his lifeline allows. The day one’s lifeline ends, God calls him up,” he said, when asked about the reported threat to him from a pro-Khalistan outfit.
Sources in the Delhi Police said they will review Mr Kejriwal’s security arrangements as there is speculation regarding a threat to his life.
Intelligence reports indicate that a hit squad of two to three operatives, last tracked in Punjab, may be en route Delhi to target Mr Kejriwal during the upcoming Assembly polls in the capital, the sources said.
“This is based on human intelligence and further details are being investigated,” one of the sources added.
The sources said a pro-Khalistan group, allegedly backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), is behind the plot, which aims to disrupt harmony and law and order in Delhi and Punjab.
Mr Kejriwal, a Z-plus protectee, has a comprehensive protection detail comprising 63 personnel, including a pilot, escort teams, close protection staff and search-and-frisk units.
Additionally, 15 uniformed personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are deployed for his protection.
The recent threat has prompted authorities to maintain round-the-clock surveillance to avert any potential attack, the sources said.
Meanwhile, the Union home ministry has granted sanction to the Enforcement Directorate to prosecute Mr Kejriwal in a money-laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy, officials said on Wednesday.
The federal agency filed a chargesheet against the 56-year-old politician before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court here last year, after arresting him in March.
Similar sanctions have also been obtained for other accused public servants, including former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, in the case.
The development comes ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls on February 5.
Mr Kejriwal, who is currently out on bail in the case, will contest the polls from the New Delhi seat.
The excise case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which was subsequently scrapped.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
