India strongly objects to US remarks on opposition leader Kejriwal’s arrest

India has strongly objected to remarks made by the United States on the arrest of key opposition leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

“India’s legal processes are based on an independent judiciary which is committed to objective and timely outcomes. Police in the Indian capital detained dozens of opposition supporters on Tuesday as they attempted to march to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence to protest against last week’s arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Kejriwal, a key opposition leader whose Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has governed the national capital territory for a decade, was arrested by the financial crime-fighting agency on corruption charges relating to the city’s liquor policy, weeks before India begins voting in general elections on April 19.

He was remanded to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate until March 28, with the lawyer for the agency arguing he was the “kingpin” in the case and needed to be interrogated.

Kejriwal’s party, all of whose main leaders are now imprisoned in connection with the case, says he has been “falsely arrested” in a “fabricated case”. The federal government and Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deny political interference.

On Tuesday, Kejriwal’s supporters attempted to march to Modi’s residence, but were stopped by police at a location where they gathered about 5 km (3 miles) away. Television visuals showed several protesters sitting on the ground and chanting slogans as police personnel tried to haul them into buses.