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Kerala Bhavan Beef Row: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Condemns Police 'Raid'

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Condemns Police 'Raid' In Kerala Bhavan Canteen
NEW DELHI, INDIA - OCTOBER 19: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addresses media over the issue of rape of two minors in Delhi last week, at Delhi Secretariat on October 19, 2015 in New Delhi, India. Delhi Government today appointed a GoM to examine whether the existing law can be amended to ensure death penalty or life imprisonment to those involved in raping minors and to lower the cut off age of juveniles found guilty in such cases, besides to explore possibility of setting up special police stations. (Photo by Arun Sharma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
NEW DELHI, INDIA - OCTOBER 19: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addresses media over the issue of rape of two minors in Delhi last week, at Delhi Secretariat on October 19, 2015 in New Delhi, India. Delhi Government today appointed a GoM to examine whether the existing law can be amended to ensure death penalty or life imprisonment to those involved in raping minors and to lower the cut off age of juveniles found guilty in such cases, besides to explore possibility of setting up special police stations. (Photo by Arun Sharma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

NEW DELHI -- Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal jumped in on the ongoing controversy over Delhi Police's "raid" at Kerala Bhavan in the capital, following a complaint that its canteen was serving beef. Kejriwal condemned the police action on Tuesday, a day after a team of police officers from the Parliament Street police station reached the state guest house after receiving a PCR call that beef was being served there.

"I strongly condemn Delhi Police raid on Kerala house. I agree with Kerala CM that Kerala house is a govt establishment and not a private hotel. Delhi Police had no business to enter Kerala house. It is an attack on federal structure. Delhi Police is acting like BJP Sena," tweeted Kejriwal on Tuesday.

"Will Delhi Police go and arrest a CM from a state Bhavan in Delhi if they suspect the CM to be eating something that BJP or Modiji don't like?"

I strongly condemn Del police raid on Kerala house. I agree with Kerala CM that Kerala House is a govt est & not a pvt hotel(1/2)

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 27, 2015

Del police had no business to enter Kerala house. It is an attack on fed structure. Del police is acting like BJP Sena(2/2)

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 27, 2015

Will Del Police go n arrest a CM from a state Bhavan in del if they suspect the CM to be eating something that BJP or Modiji don't like?

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 27, 2015

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today criticised Delhi Police for carrying out the "searches" at the guest house. "Delhi Police should have restrained doing what they did. It's wrong, if they entered inside like that (sic)," Chandy told reporters. "Even if there was a complaint, there are procedures to be followed."

Kerala chief secretary Jiji Thomson has meanwhile denied that cow meat is served inside the canteen in New Delhi.

"I totally deny that cow meat was served here (canteen of Kerala House). Only buffalo meat is served," Thomson told the media, adding that they would wait for police action on the complaint filed by the Resident Commissioner of Kerala House following the incident.

"I was told that some persons gate-crashed into Kerala House yesterday, the police had also entered. The resident commissioner has made a complaint to the DCP over their (gate- crashers') entry. We will wait for the police's action now," The Economic Timesquoted him as saying.

Cops on Monday had received a PCR call, allegedly from a member of a fringe right-wing group. The caller had complained that beef curry was being served at Kerala House near Jantar Mantar, and a team of police officers were immediately rushed there to avert any "untoward incident".

The call was received by the police control room around 4.15 PM, and the caller, claiming to be from a fringe right-wing group, told the police that beef was being served at Kerala House, said a senior official.

The policemen took no chance and the input was immediately passed on to Parliament Street police station, from where a team was sent to Kerala House to deal with any potential violence, said the official.

The team remained deployed there for several hours and had conversations with the officials posted there. They also informed them about the PCR call and later returned, assuring that "things were under control".

"We dealt with the matter with necessary alertness and took our position. The objective was to ensure that law and order is not disrupted," said DCP (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal to PTI.

A senior police official said that the police were not concerned about whether the said meat is served at the aforementioned place, as that doesn't constitute any criminal offence here.

The role of police was to avert possible hooliganism and ensure that law and order is maintained.

(with PTI inputs)

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.