Mumbai cops lodge FIR against Kejriwal, AAP for unlawful assembly

The Mumbai Police today registered an FIR against Aam Adami Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal, spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon and other party workers for disobeying police orders and unlawful assembly. “We had offered a police vehicle to the AAP members from the airport which was refused by them. We had also issued an order asking them not to gather more than five persons but they didn’t follow that either,” said Rajendra Nagbhirey, senior police inspector of the Airport Police Station, adding that it created huge chaos in the area. The police registered the FIR late on Wednesday. [caption id=“attachment_1433167” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Arvind Kejriwal in Mumbai. PTI[/caption] Kejriwal landed at Mumbai airport on Wednesday morning from where he took an auto-rickshaw to the Andheri station in suburban Mumbai. Ten auto rickshaws were part of his cavalcade from the airport to the station. It was seen that many AAP workers were hanging from the sides of the auto-rickshaws and also reportedly broke a signal. However, AAP leaders slammed the police saying the FIR was “uncalled for”. “It was completely uncalled for. We were not aware of the unlawful assembly orders. We left the airport immediately after Kejriwal’s arrival and many people had come to see him on their own. The chaos took place because of the media and police’s inability to handle it. We will contest the charges,” said Preeti Sharma Menon, AAP spokesperson. According to officials of the Airport Police Station, the FIR has been registered under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgamated by public servant) and 141 (unlawful assembly), along with other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). On Wednesday, the traffic police also booked the three auto drivers for ferrying more passengers than allowed under the Motor Vehicles Act, and issued notices to them for breaching the traffic laws.