Gujarat Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) president Isudan Gadhvi was allegedly detained by the police in Dwarka on Wednesday afternoon, the party alleged, even as the police denied the development.

“Gadhvi has not been detained at the moment, but some legal processes are underway,” Superintendent of Police Jayrajsinh Vala told The Indian Express.

In a video statement shortly thereafter, 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 Aam Aadmi Party are to be detained. This is a case of bullying and hooliganism.”

Urging people to reach Khambhaliya to support Isudan Gadhvi, Italia claimed that the state party chief’s alleged detention was part of a larger pattern of actions taken by the BJP against AAP.

“The BJP government has become so scared in the last few days that multiple cases are being filed against Aam Aadmi Party workers every day. Yesterday, the Surendranagar and Porbandar police went to the houses of Aam Aadmi Party workers and threatened, bullied and harassed them,” he alleged.

“The Khambhaliya police had wrongly registered an FIR against the workers, while another FIR was also registered in Junagadh. The police threatened AAP workers at Khambhaliya and tried to extract election-related data from their mobile phones,” he further claimed.

At a simultaneous press conference held in Narmada, AAP’s Dediapada MLA Chaitar Vasava said that the “growing support and people’s connection” to AAP had become “a matter of concern” for the BJP.

“The local self-government elections are approaching in Gujarat, which include taluka panchayats, district panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations. For the last five years, the BJP has been ruling these institutions, but they have failed, committed huge corruption and failed to resolve the problems of the people. Due to this, now the people are ready to reject the BJP,” Vasava said.

“The growing support and people’s connection to the Aam Aadmi Party 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 Aam Aadmi Party,” he added.

In March, around 34 First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered against AAP leaders and workers, and many have been detained without committing any crime, Vasava said.

“AAP workers have been taken to police stations and intimidated and threatened to leave the party. The mobiles and laptops of the workers have been confiscated, and their families have also been harassed. Such action is being taken at the SP level in districts, including Sabarkantha, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, and Kutch. In Narmada district too, the police tried to get information by calling the workers and going to their homes,” Vasava alleged.