Arrested AAP MLA's wife calls BJP govt 'merciless', urges Okhla residents to keep shops shut to protest against his arrest

New Delhi: Hours after Aam Admi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan was arrested by Delhi Police, his wife on Friday called the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government "merciless" and urged the residents of Okhla to keep their shops closed on Friday in protest against his arrest.

The MLA was arrested for obstructing a public servant from discharge of duty. He along with locals protested against the BJP-led South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) in the Madanpur Khadar area during the anti-encroachment drive.

Taking to AAP MLA's Twitter handle, Shafia, Amanatullah's wife said, "Amanatullah Khan has been sent behind the bars for raising the voice of the public. I request the people of Okhla to keep their shops closed from 9 am to 5 pm tomorrow in protest against the arrest so that we can tell the merciless BJP government that the people are standing with their MLA."

Amanatullah claimed that the BJP through the civic body is running bulldozers over the houses of poor people.
The SDMC on Thursday ran bulldozers in several areas of West Delhi including the Khyala and Chand Nagar areas of Vishnu Garden. Earlier, it carried out the demolition drive in the Madanpur Khadar area, where people protested against the move of SDMC.

The locals raised anti-encroachment slogans and sat on the roads in an attempt to stop the bulldozers that were brought to carry out the drive in the presence of the Delhi police.

Khan said that the people of the area had already removed the encroachments at his request.

"Wazu Khana' and toilets outside a mosque here were removed in presence of police, earlier. When there are no encroachments, why have they come here? Just to do politics?" the AAP MLA said.

Khan further alleged that the MCD is carrying out the drive to "disturb the atmosphere".

"When I removed all the encroachments, then the MCD has come to disturb the atmosphere. Why else have they come? If there is any encroachment in my constituency, tell me, and I will remove it," he said. (ANI)