New Delhi: As the Delhi Police on Sunday publicly accused Aam Aadmi Party leaders of organising a campaign to paste posters across the city criticising PM Narendra Modi for exporting crores of vaccine doses, party leader Durgesh Pathak took responsibility for the posters which have now elicited a widespread political reaction from all opposition parties.
The Delhi Police have so far arrested at least 25 people across the Capital in multiple FIRs related to incidents of pasting these posters, which ask, "Modi ji humare baccho ki vaccine ko videsh kyu bhej diya? (PM Modi, why did you send vaccines meant for our children abroad?)"
On Sunday, the police issued a statement, alleging that AAP member Arvind Gautam was behind the poster-pasting drive in the Mangolpuri area and that he is currently absconding. The Delhi Police went on to say that Gautam had allegedly paid locals Rs 9,000 to print and paste these posters in the area.
Reports said that most of those arrested for the poster were either daily wage labourers or printers.
Delhi Police PRO Chinmoy Biswal said that in the Mangolpuri incident when they detained the person found pasting posters at 4 am, they were told of Gautam's alleged involvement and are looking for him.
However, according to the Delhi Police, the charges in this FIR, relate to violating lockdown rules and defacing public property, which legally does not call into question the contents of the poster.
The Delhi Police said they had gathered many required documents, including communication between Gautam and the workers pasting the posters.
In South Delhi too, the Delhi police alleged that one Sanjay Chaudhary (ex-councillor candidate of AAP) and party worker Mayank were behind the posters. In the West District too, the police claimed the posters were being pasted on directions of AAP workers.
However, launching a scathing attack, AAP leader Durgesh Pathak took ownership of the posters and said, "The AAP is behind the posters. Our party workers have been arrested and hundreds are being detained in different parts of the city. We challenge Delhi Police to arrest senior AAP leaders and party MLAs instead of harassing poor people who paste posters for a little money."
After severe flak following news reports of these arrests, the Delhi Police also claimed that news reports of such incidents "had not carried the entire result of the investigation and merely showed the arrest of poor persons". Most of those arrested are cooperating in the probe and have been released on bail.