Police within the Indian capital detained dozens of opposition supporters on Tuesday as they tried to march to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence to protest in opposition to final week’s arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Kejriwal, a key opposition chief whose Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has ruled the nationwide capital territory for a decade, was arrested by the monetary crime-fighting company on corruption fees regarding town’s liquor coverage, weeks earlier than India begins voting normally elections on April 19.

He was remanded to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate till March 28, with the lawyer for the company arguing he was the “kingpin” within the case and wanted to be interrogated.

Kejriwal’s social gathering, all of whose primary leaders at the moment are imprisoned in reference to the case, says he has been “falsely arrested” in a “fabricated case.” The federal authorities and Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deny political interference.

On Tuesday, Kejriwal’s supporters tried to march to Modi’s residence, however have been stopped by police at a location the place they gathered about 5 km (3 miles) away.

Television visuals confirmed a number of protesters sitting on the bottom and chanting slogans as police personnel tried to haul them onto buses.

Elsewhere within the metropolis, police used water cannons to disperse BJP supporters making an attempt to march to the Delhi Secretariat to demand Kejriwal’s resignation and detained a few of them.

“The chief minister of Delhi is corrupt and dishonest. … He will have to resign,” state BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva advised information company ANI.

AAP leaders stated Kejriwal wouldn’t resign and protests demanding his launch would proceed.

“I want to tell the federal government, this fight, this movement, will not stop because of the force of your police. This voice is reaching the entire nation,” Delhi’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai advised reporters.

Multiple metro stations have been closed “until further notice” resulting from “security reasons,” the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation stated on X Tuesday morning.

The Delhi police issued a discover warning site visitors can be affected “in view of special Law & Order arrangement” within the metropolis.

AAP is a part of the INDIA bloc, an alliance of greater than two dozen political events fashioned final yr to collectively problem the BJP within the common elections.

The group plans to carry a joint rally in Delhi on March 31 to protest in opposition to Kejriwal’s arrest, hoping to resume their unity after bickering and failed makes an attempt at sharing seats to area widespread candidates in opposition to the BJP.

The arrest of the high-profile Kejriwal, whose social gathering additionally guidelines the northern Indian state of Punjab, has drawn worldwide consideration, with Germany and the U.S. interesting for a “fair” and “impartial” trial within the case in step with “basic democratic principles.”