Gujarat Aam Aadmi Party president Isudan Gadhvi and 17 others were arrested on Wednesday evening on charges of rioting and obstruction of public servant among others, hours after they were detained at Jam Khambaliya police station in Devbhumi Dwarka district.Gadhvi, who hails from Dwarka, had gone to the Jam Khambaliya police station on Wednesday morning with a group of party workers demanding that the police cancel what the party called “the wrong FIR” filed against an AAP worker in a loot case and book another person in the case.Gadhvi and others were booked in an FIR filed based on a complaint by Police Sub-Inspector Uday Kantilal Jadav on behalf of the State.All 18 persons were subsequently placed under arrest, Devbhoomi Dwarka S P Jayrajsinh Vala said.“Today, Gadhvi came to the police station with a group of workers and spoke about an FIR filed three days ago, where police are not the complainant. He alleged that the FIR wrongly named a person as accused, which itself is a false allegation. Gadhvi along with others barged into the police station, sought to see the register and argued with police. He was also booked for obstruction of public servants in performing their duties,” Vala said.Reacting to this development on social media site X, Arvind Kejriwal, the national convenor of AAP, wrote, “In Gujarat, people are suffering from thirty years of BJP’s misrule of corruption, tyranny and oppression. So far the public had no choice. People are now looking at the AAP as a strong alternative.”Kejriwal further wrote, “Now BJP has hatched a conspiracy. Put as many leaders and office bearers of AAP in jail as possible in Gujarat. So far more than 160 activists have been arrested. According to sources, around 10,000 AAP functionaries will be arrested…Story continues below this adThe FIR stated that while the PSI was out patrolling, he received a call that Isudan Gadhvi and 30-35 others had barged into the police station and demanded that an FIR be filed on an application submitted the previous day.When the PSI reached the police station, followed by PI NH Joshi, the complainant said he informed the group that two or three persons can make their representation to the Inspector in his office. The FIR said that 6-7 persons including Isudan Gadhvi and Ramji Parmar, went into the Inspector’s office, with several persons recording the events. It is alleged that the accused persons were asked to stop the live recording but they did not do so. It is alleged that the accused spoke to the police officers and personnel in a manner meant to demoralise them and show the police department in bad light, while causing obstruction in the discharge of their duties.They were booked under BNS sections 189(1) and 189(2) (unlawful assembly), 191(2) (rioting), 221 (obstruction of a public servant in discharge of duty), 57 (abetment of an offence by the public), 353(2) (creating, publishing, or circulating false information or rumors), 248(b) (false charge of an offence), and 62 (attempts to commit offenses punishable by life imprisonment or other imprisonment).In a video statement earlier in the day, AAP’s Visavadar MLA Gopal Italia said, “At 2:30 pm today (April 1), Isudan Gadhvi was detained by the police at the Khambhaliya police station and the police clearly said that orders have been received from the BJP office that all the people of the AAP are to be detained. This is a case of bullying and hooliganism.”Story continues below this adGopal Italia appealed to the people of Gujarat, “Now is the time to become aware and such tactics should be given a response in the upcoming elections. All friends who can reach Khambhaliya should immediately reach there to support Isudan Gadhvi.”At a simultaneous press conference from Narmada, the party’s Dediapada MLA Chaitar Vasava said, “The local self-government elections are approaching in Gujarat. The growing support and people’s connection to the AAP has become a matter of concern for the BJP, and frightened by this, the Gujarat police have become active at the behest of the state Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi and are trying to disturb the leaders and workers of the AAP. In the month of March alone, about 34 FIRs have been registered against the leaders and workers of the AAP and many people have been detained without any crime.”