Ajay Bambhaniya, the Aam Aadmi Party candidate contesting the local body polls from Una municipality in Gir-Somnath district, was arrested on Friday.An Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate in Gujarat, who claimed he was fired upon by two bike-borne men, ended up being arrested on Friday after CCTV footage at a police station showed a live bullet slipping from his clothes, exposing the holes in his story.On Thursday night, Ajay Bambhaniya, 38, an AAP candidate contesting the local body polls from Una municipality in Gir-Somnath district, walked into the Una police station claiming that two bike-borne attackers had discharged a weapon at him.The incident took place when Bambhaniya was travelling on the Somnath-Bhavnagar highway, he said. “He claimed there was a speed-breaker and a turn, so he slowed his car. At the point, he claimed, two men on a bike discharged a weapon at him. He said he turned the car around and drove straight to the Una police station,” Jaydeepsinh Jadeja, Superintendent of Police (SP), Gir-Somnath, told The Indian Express.Officials at Una police station made a diary entry of the incident and began an immediate investigation, believing that this was not only a possible attempt to murder case, but also a serious arms violation considering most legal weapons had been impounded by the police days ago in anticipation of the local body elections in 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats, and 260 taluka panchayats on April 26.In less than 24 hours, by Friday noon, the police completed their investigation and concluded that Bambhaniya—who had been admitted to a hospital and had drawn reactions from several senior party leaders, including AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal—had misled them.Bambhaniya was arrested and booked under sections 212 (furnishing false information to a public servant), 217 (giving false information to a public servant with the intent to cause them to use their lawful power to harm or annoy another person), and 214 (refuse to answer questions posed by a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, as well as sections of the Arms Act.The twist in the taleWhen asked how Bambhaniya was arrested, SP Jadeja explained, “When the FSL [Forensic Science Laboratory] team arrived at night and checked for the spent bullet, the trajectory, and ballistics, they found nothing. It was established that this vehicle had not been fired upon. There was a mark on the vehicle, but it did not match what he said about the firing incident. Secondly, there was neither an exit mark for the bullet nor did we find the spent bullet.”Story continues below this ad“When Bambhaniya drove his vehicle into the police station and exited the vehicle, a live bullet fell out of his clothes, which was captured on the CCTV camera of the police station,” he added.Bambhaniya was in possession of a live bullet that would normally be used in a country-made gun, the SP said. “We have not found a weapon in his possession, but it is still a violation of the Arms Act,” the police officer added. Before Ajay Bambhaniya’s arrest, AAP’s Gujarat frontal organisation president Pravin Ram had visited him in the hospital. (Photo credit: AAP)Embarrassment for AAPSeveral AAP leaders reacted to the ‘attack’ on Bambhaniya on Friday. In a post on X, Kejriwal prayed for Bambhaniya’s speedy recovery. “The Aam Aadmi Party’s fearless stance in raising the voice of the people—and challenging those in power—is, perhaps, something that some people simply cannot tolerate. However, the common people of Gujarat have now resolved not to bow down in the face of hooliganism. The people of Gujarat will not back down now… they will secure their rights, come what may,” he further said.While AAP’s Gujarat frontal organisation president Pravin Ram visited Bambhaniya in the hospital hours before the campaigning for the local body elections was to end, the party’s Gujarat chief, Isudan Gadhvi, issued a video statement.Story continues below this ad“Attempts are being made to turn elections in Gujarat violent. Usually, during elections, the police say that all weapons have been seized, then how does firing take place on a promising young candidate from the Koli community in Una belonging to the Aam Aadmi Party? Who provided the weapons? Who gave the threats? Who got the attack carried out? Will Gujarat be defamed because of goons, hooligans and corrupt people?” he said.Claiming that Gujarat has always been a peaceful state, he added, “There has never been an atmosphere of unrest or gun culture like Bihar-UP. If gun culture starts in Gujarat, people will stop voting. Today, a promising young candidate from the Koli community like our Ajaybhai Bambhaniya was threatened. I have heard that pressure was being put on him to withdraw the form, threats were given to remove him from the election, and such pressure was being created by BJP leaders. After that, he was shot. The sad thing is that even after the firing, when he went from the hospital to file a complaint, his complaint was not registered. This is shocking. We are defaming Gujarat at the national level. If citizens of Japan or America come to know that firing happens here and complaints are not even registered, what image will Gujarat have?”AAP spokesperson Dr Karan Barot said the party would issue a statement on the latest developments.Brendan Dabhi works with The Indian Express, focusing his comprehensive reporting primarily on Gujarat. He covers the region's most critical social, legal, and administrative sectors, notably specializing at the intersection of health, social justice, and disasters. Expertise Health and Public Policy: He has deep expertise in healthcare issues, including rare diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), the complex logistics of organ transplants, and public health challenges like drug-resistant TB and heat health surveillance. His on-ground reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic and Mucormycosis was critical in exposing healthcare challenges faced by marginalized communities in Gujarat. Social Justice and Legal Administration: He reports on the functioning of the legal and police system, including the impact of judicial philosophy, forensics and crucial administrative reforms (. He covers major surveillance and crackdown exercises by the Gujarat police and security on the international border. Disaster and Crisis Management: His work closely tracks how government and civic bodies respond to large-scale crises, providing essential coverage on the human and administrative fallout of disasters including cyclones, floods, conflict, major fires and reported extensively on the AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad. Civic Infrastructure and Governance: Provides timely reports on critical civic failures, including large scale infrastructure projects by the railways and civic bodies, as well as the enforcement of municipal regulations and their impact on residents and heritage. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd