On 20 January 2014, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers began a sit-in outside Rail Bhawan, near Rajpath, demanding the suspension of five Delhi Police officers they accused of failing to act on their ministers' complaints. After two days of clashes between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters and police, the protest ended on the evening of 21 January when Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung sent two officers on leave. Charges framed against Kejriwal and three colleagues in 2019 were set aside by a sessions court later that year.
Key takeaways
- Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and six ministers sat on dharna outside Rail Bhawan in New Delhi from 20 to 21 January 2014, after police stopped them from protesting at the Home Ministry in North Block.
- The AAP government wanted five Delhi Police officers suspended over three incidents: Law Minister Somnath Bharti's night-time visit to Khirki Extension, a dowry burning case in Sagarpur and the gang rape of a Danish tourist near Paharganj.
- Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde refused suspensions before an inquiry. Police said 26 personnel were injured in two days of clashes.
- The sit-in ended on 21 January 2014 after Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung sent two officers on leave and appealed to Kejriwal in view of Republic Day security.
- A magistrate framed charges against Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Somnath Bharti and Rakhi Birla on 5 July 2019; a sessions court discharged all four on 30 November 2019 for lack of sufficient evidence.
Background: three complaints against the police
The AAP government had been in office only a few weeks when its ministers fell out with Delhi Police, which reports to the Union Home Ministry, not the elected Delhi government Tribune. The government cited three incidents PTI via Deccan Herald:
- Khirki Extension: Law Minister Somnath Bharti went to a house in his Malviya Nagar constituency on the night of 15 to 16 January, saying a drug and prostitution ring was being run there, and demanded a police raid. Police refused, saying they had no warrant PTI via Deccan Herald.
- Sagarpur: Women and Child Development Minister Rakhi Birla had a dispute with a policeman over a dowry case in which a woman was set on fire, allegedly by her in-laws.
- Paharganj: Kejriwal blamed police for how they handled the gang rape of a Danish tourist that week.
The Khirki visit itself became a separate controversy. AAP workers allegedly forced a couple of Ugandan women to give urine samples PTI via Deccan Herald. On a Ugandan woman's petition, a court ordered an FIR, which police registered on 19 January against unknown persons for wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and insulting the modesty of a woman IANS via Legally India.
Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Bharti and Birla met Shinde on Friday 17 January and demanded that the "guilty" policemen be suspended by 10 am on Monday 20 January, or they would protest outside the Home Ministry PTI via Deccan Herald.
Timeline
Prohibitory orders
According to the later police charge sheet, an Assistant Commissioner of Police imposed prohibitory orders covering North Block, South Block, Vijay Chowk, the area near Rail Bhawan and Parliament Street PTI via ETV Bharat.
Stopped at Rail Bhawan
Delhi Metro shut Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Race Course stations "as advised by Delhi Police" PTI via Deccan Herald. Kejriwal and six ministers tried to walk to North Block but were stopped near Rail Bhawan, as Vijay Chowk and Rajpath were sealed for a Republic Day rehearsal. The sit-in began at about 11 am PTI via Deccan Herald Tribune.
"Prepared for 10 days"
Kejriwal said he had come prepared to sit for 10 days and that any crisis would be the Centre's responsibility. Delhi Police deployed about 1,200 personnel with the Rapid Action Force, and later the Sashastra Seema Bal Tribune. He described himself as an "anarchist" that day Deccan Herald IANS via The Peninsula.
First scuffles
Scuffles broke out after police disconnected Kejriwal's audio system. AAP said Model Town MLA Akhilesh Tripathi was beaten; police said five of their personnel were injured Tribune.
Night on the road
Kejriwal, his ministers and supporters spent the night on the road in heavy rain. He held cabinet meetings in his car Tribune PTI via Assam Tribune.
Barricades broken, lathi-charge
Police cracked down on protesters who broke barricades on Rafi Marg. Two officers were injured by stones near Shastri Bhawan, police said Tribune Tribune. Earlier that day Kejriwal had ruled out negotiations and threatened to fill Rajpath with supporters PTI via Assam Tribune.
Compromise
After a phone call between a senior AAP leader and Jung, AAP leaders met at the Press Club. Kejriwal then read out Jung's letter and called off the protest Tribune.
The clashes and Republic Day concerns
The site was about 100 metres from the Republic Day parade route on Rajpath, where Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was to be chief guest. Tribune. Joint Commissioner of Police Mukesh Kumar Meena said: "This area (protest site) is a high-security zone. We will take steps to ensure law and order" Tribune.
Injury counts differ. Claim · Police By the end of 21 January police said 26 personnel, including an Assistant Commissioner of Police, had been injured; the Tribune put AAP injuries at about 15 Tribune. IANS reported "around 30 people injured" on 21 January IANS via The Peninsula.
An eyewitness journalist told the Tribune: "People were pushing the barricades. The police tried pushing them back and one of them slapped a protester. The protesters then started hurling stones at the police and this cop was injured." Kejriwal condemned the lathi-charge as unnecessary, saying "two policemen and few of our supporters have been injured" Tribune Tribune.
Both accounts
Kejriwal's and AAP's account
Kejriwal said: "I can't keep quiet when the people of Delhi are unsafe." Tribune He rejected Shinde's call to wait for an inquiry and wanted the "corrupt" officers suspended at once. Claim · Kejriwal Citing former Union Home Secretary R K Singh's allegation that Shinde was involved in transfers of station house officers, he said: "It creates doubt that money has changed hands." He added that most policemen are not corrupt, and rejected the "vigilantism" label used by sections of the media, the Congress and the BJP PTI via Deccan Herald. He blamed the Home Minister for the Metro closures and traffic jams Tribune. AAP wanted Delhi Police placed under the Delhi government so it could be held accountable Tribune.
Police and government account
Government's position The Home Ministry and the Delhi Police chief refused to suspend the officers before an inquiry. Shinde said: "The Chief Minister should maintain the dignity of his office. A high-level inquiry has been ordered. He should wait till it is over." He ruled out bringing Delhi Police under the Delhi government Tribune. According to the later charge sheet, Kejriwal, Sisodia and other leaders led 250 to 300 supporters towards the Home Minister's office despite being told of the prohibitory orders. It alleged they "instigated their supporters" to manhandle police at the barricades PTI via ETV Bharat.
Political reaction was sharp on both sides of AAP. Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely, whose party supported the AAP government from outside, said "There is a difference between a government and NGO activists". BJP leader Harsh Vardhan called it "political drama" Tribune. After it ended, the BJP's Arun Jaitley called it "a theatre of the absurd enacted by the AAP and the Congress" IANS via The Peninsula.
How it ended
Under the compromise, the Malviya Nagar station house officer who had refused Bharti's raid demand and the PCR van in-charge in Paharganj were sent on leave Tribune. Jung's letter appealed to Kejriwal to stop "in view of the sacrosanct occasion of the Republic Day and the perceived security situation", and said the judicial inquiry into alleged police inaction would be expedited PTI via Assam Tribune.
This is the first step in making the Delhi Police accountable. It is a victory of the people.
Arvind Kejriwal, Rail Bhawan, 21 January 2014 (Tribune/PTI)
IANS reported that the government's move followed a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pranab Mukherjee. Jung's letter did not mention the demand for Delhi Police to come under the state government IANS via The Peninsula.
Court proceedings
Supreme Court, January 2014. On 24 January a bench of Justices R M Lodha and Shiva Kirti Singh heard two PILs, one by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma seeking prosecution of Kejriwal and Bharti Tribune. The bench said it would examine whether a chief minister could hold an agitation in violation of Section 144 orders. It asked why police let five or more people assemble and whether they acted with "utmost expedition" to disperse them. When the Additional Solicitor General said 45 minutes had been given to disperse, the bench remarked: "the World Trade Centre collapsed in 3 minutes, 45 minutes is too much" Deccan Herald. No final ruling on the constitutional question was found in the sources reviewed.
FIRs. Police first registered an FIR naming only AAP supporters, saying they needed the Speaker's permission to name the chief minister. A later FIR named Kejriwal for violating Section 144 and inciting the mob Free Press Journal.
Charges, stay and discharge, 2019. Police chargesheeted six leaders. On 5 July 2019 Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal framed charges against Kejriwal, Sisodia, Birla and Bharti and discharged Sanjay Singh and Ashutosh Scroll Bar and Bench IANS via Sentinel. The charges included unlawful assembly, rioting, obstructing and assaulting public servants, and disobeying a public servant's order PTI via ETV Bharat. Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj stayed the trial in July 2019 Bar and Bench. On 30 November 2019 Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar set aside the charges and discharged all four, finding no sufficient evidence to put them on trial PTI via ETV Bharat Bar and Bench.
The Khirki case. A judicial inquiry under retired judge B L Garg into all three incidents finished in February 2014 Deccan Herald PTI via Business Standard. In September 2014 police chargesheeted Bharti and 17 others under 16 IPC sections IANS via Legally India. Claim · Complainant One Ugandan woman told a magistrate that Bharti led the group that entered her house PTI via Deccan Herald. Charges were ordered against him in 2018, and his lawyer denied all the allegations Scroll. Outlook, citing PTI, reported in April 2026 that a Delhi court acquitted Bharti of all charges after the complainants did not appear to depose Outlook.
Outcome
- Demand: Two of five officers sent on leave, not suspended.
- Injuries: 26 police per police; about 15 AAP supporters per the Tribune; "around 30" per IANS.
- Cases: FIRs at Parliament Street police station; Kejriwal named in a later FIR.
- Supreme Court: Police asked to explain why they allowed the gathering.
- Trial: Charges framed on 5 July 2019; four leaders discharged on 30 November 2019.
- Politics: Kejriwal resigned on 14 February 2014 after the Jan Lokpal Bill was blocked in the Assembly Tribune.
The Delhi Police control debate
Ending the protest, Kejriwal said his government would step up efforts to take control of the 85,000-strong Delhi Police IANS via The Peninsula. The Constitution settled otherwise. In May 2023 a Supreme Court Constitution Bench held that the Delhi government controls administrative services, but not public order, police and land, which Article 239AA keeps outside the Delhi Assembly's power LiveLaw. The Centre then issued an ordinance taking services out of the Assembly's power as well PRS Legislative Research. Delhi Police remains under the Union Home Ministry.
Questions people ask
Why did Kejriwal sit on dharna at Rail Bhawan?
He wanted five Delhi Police officers suspended for failing to act on his ministers' complaints in Khirki Extension, Sagarpur and Paharganj. Police stopped him from protesting outside the Home Ministry, so he sat near Rail Bhawan.
How did the dharna end?
Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung sent two officers on leave and asked Kejriwal to stop in view of Republic Day. Kejriwal called it a "victory" and ended the protest.
What happened to the Rail Bhawan protest case?
Charges were framed against Kejriwal, Sisodia, Birla and Bharti on 5 July 2019. On 30 November 2019 a sessions court discharged all four, finding insufficient evidence for trial.
Who controls Delhi Police?
The Union Home Ministry. A 2023 Supreme Court Constitution Bench held that police, public order and land are outside the Delhi government's powers.
Sources
- PTI via Deccan Herald: Four Metro stations closed ahead of protest by AAP, 20 Jan 2014
- PTI via Deccan Herald: Kejriwal, Delhi ministers hold dharna outside Rail Bhavan, 20 Jan 2014
- Deccan Herald: Kejriwal defies ban, protests against cops; calls himself anarchist, 20 Jan 2014
- Tribune: Kejriwal fights Centre on streets; Shinde turns down demand, 21 Jan 2014
- Tribune: MLA, supporters hurt in scuffle; five cops also injured, 21 Jan 2014
- Tribune/PTI: Capital compromise, Kejri stir off, 22 Jan 2014
- Tribune: 26 cops, 15 AAP supporters injured in clashes, 22 Jan 2014
- PTI via Assam Tribune: Kejriwal calls off dharna in Delhi, 22 Jan 2014
- IANS via The Peninsula: Govt bows; Kejriwal ends protest, 22 Jan 2014
- PTI via Deccan Herald: Midnight raid, Ugandan woman accuses Bharti of leading mob, 22 Jan 2014
- Free Press Journal: FIR against Kejriwal, 24 Jan 2014
- Tribune: Supreme Court pulls up Delhi Police over dharna, 25 Jan 2014
- Deccan Herald: SC to examine constitutional issues into Kejriwal's dharna, 25 Jan 2014
- Tribune/PTI: Kejriwal quits as Jan Lokpal hits House wall, 15 Feb 2014
- Deccan Herald: Ugandan women depose before judicial panel, 21 Feb 2014
- PTI via Business Standard: Judicial probe completed into Bharti midnight raid episode, 27 Feb 2014
- IANS via Legally India: Somnath Bharti and others charged under 16 sections, 1 Oct 2014
- Scroll: Court orders framing of charges against Somnath Bharti, 26 Sept 2018
- Bar and Bench: Delhi court frames charges against Kejriwal, Sisodia, 5 July 2019
- Scroll: Charges framed against Kejriwal and three other AAP leaders, 5 July 2019
- IANS via Sentinel: Charges against Kejriwal, 3 others in 2014 dharna case, 6 July 2019
- Bar and Bench: Special court stays trial against Kejriwal and others, 23 July 2019
- PTI via ETV Bharat: Court discharges CM Kejriwal, his deputy, 1 Dec 2019
- Bar and Bench: Delhi court discharges Kejriwal and others in Rail Bhawan case, 1 Dec 2019
- LiveLaw: Supreme Court holds Delhi govt has control over services excluding public order, police and land, 11 May 2023
- PRS Legislative Research: GNCTD (Amendment) Ordinance 2023 brief, 2023
- Outlook/PTI: Somnath Bharti acquitted in 2014 African women assault case, 24 Apr 2026