NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police stopped the screening of the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) documentary Unbreakable, citing the absence of necessary permissions.
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal clarified that the event was private and not related to the election campaign.
Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said, “A film has been made on AAP. Today we had a special screening for journalists, but Delhi Police in the morning reached there and stopped the screening of the film.
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It was a private screening. It was not an election campaign, there was no election flag, election speech, or election propaganda. Why is BJP scared of this film? It was a private screening of the film. I haven’t seen this film, but I was told that this shows the story when AAP leaders were sent to jail and it exposes illegal and unconstitutional actions of the BJP government. That’s why BJP is scared. We condemn the way the film screening was stopped. We hope we will get permission to screen this film.”
He added, “This is not an election event. It has nothing to do with the election. There is no party symbol or flag. We tried to make the police understand. This is hooliganism and dictatorship.”
Delhi Police: No permission taken
The Delhi Police stated that “no permission” was obtained for the event, making it a violation of election guidelines. They explained that all political events require approval through a single-window system at the District election officer’s (DEO) office during the election period.
“For the said event, no such permission was taken, and hence it would have been a violation of guidelines. We urge all parties to follow the election rules and regulations at this time. As elections have been declared, political parties have to apply for permission through a single-window system at the DEO office. This is a standard process during elections,” the police said.
They clarified further, “Delhi Police can neither grant nor reject such permission at this time, as all permissions for political activity are granted through the single-window system in the concerned DEO office.”
AAP alleges BJP pressure on theatre owners
The AAP alleged that the screening was blocked at the BJP’s behest and claimed that theatre owners were threatened.
“The Delhi Police banned the screening of the documentary at the behest of the BJP. This documentary is made on AAP leaders going to jail and was to be screened today at 11.30am. Theatre owners across Delhi have been threatened not to screen the documentary,” said AAP sources.
Kejriwal also took to X, accusing the BJP of fear over the film. “A film has been made on Aam Aadmi Party. Today, where this film was to be shown to journalists, look there, BJP prevented the screening of this film by deploying a huge police force. BJP is very scared of this film. Why? Why does BJP want to stop this film? What is there in this film that BJP is scared of? This film exposes all the secrets behind the scenes when AAP leaders were wrongly arrested. It exposes the illegal and unconstitutional actions of the BJP government,” he wrote.
Delhi is set to go to polls on February 5, with results to be announced on February 8.