The Delhi Police on Thursday registered a case of rioting and destruction of public property against Ashutosh, party leader Shazia Ilmi and arrested 14 AAP members for the clashes. Later, it told the Delhi Election Commission that the party had not taken permission to outside the BJP HQs.
According to police sources, an FIR was lodged at Parliament Street Police Station on Wednesday night against the AAP protesters including leaders Ashutosh and Ilmi.
Charges of rioting, obstructing a public servant from performing his duty and damaging public property have been slapped against them, the sources said.
Police had initially detained 33 people out of which 14 were arrested late on Wednesday night while others were allowed to go.
Read: Kejriwal, supporters detained in Gujarat ahead of rally
Those arrested will be produced before a local court in Delhi in the afternoon.
Twenty eight people, including 13 AAP activists and 10 BJP supporters, were injured in the clashes, police said.
Police have termed the AAP protest as completely illegal as no prior permission was sought in this connection by the party.
Police have also got the entire sequence of events videographed and senior officials said that more arrests are possible after identification in the video footage.
Clashes broke out between workers of the AAP and the BJP in half-a-dozen towns across the country hours after AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal was briefly detained by police in a north Gujarat town. The former Delhi chief minister was released after 30 minutes.
Kejriwal began a four-day tour of Gujarat to check chief minister and BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's claims that the state was a model of development.
Read: Kejriwal in Gujarat to verify Modi's development claims
He was detained for alleged violation of the model code of conduct by travelling in a long motorcade.
RT "@buzzindelhi: #NaxalAAP @ashutosh83B trying to climb the BJP Main Gate/Office wall. pic.twitter.com/p19Kh8ro4R"
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) March 5, 2014
Protests by AAP workers outside the Delhi BJP office against Kejriwal's detention in Gujarat snowballed into a clash when BJP activists allegedly threw stones at them and the protestors retaliated. While both sides hurled chairs and sticks at each other, police intervened, using water cannons to disperse the crowd.
Angry AAP workers vandalised the BJP hoardings in the area. AAP leaders Ilmi, Ashutosh and Rajmohan Gandhi were present at the protest site. Ilmi told media persons it was a peaceful protest by them but the BJP workers indulged in violence.
In Gujarat's Kutch, former Delhi chief minister Kejriwal's car was attacked by a few unidentified people. The windscreen of his four-wheeler was damaged in the incident.
Armed with brooms, AAP workers also clashed with lathi-wielding activists of BJP in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow. AAP activists allegedly attacked the BJP office with bricks, drawing retaliation as the saffron party workers, carrying canes, took to the streets.
Video: AAP, BJP scuffle over Kejriwal's detention
Several people were mercilessly beaten up by canes after being knocked down on the road as rival groups chased each other away.
Reports of similar clashes also came in from other UP towns such as Jhansi, Kanpur and Allahabad.
Reacting over the New Delhi clashes, BJP leaders said the AAP was responsible for the fracas.
"Do they believe in Maoism?" asked BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad while another spokesman Nirmala Sitharaman said: "No one should indulge in this kind of destructive politics. What's happening is completely unwarranted, highly condemnable."
While the police were able to round up a few protesters, the violent episode led to traffic snarls outside the BJP office, which is located in the heart of the national capital. The area is a high security zone and both the BJP and AAP supporters claimed the cops did not take immediate action against the aggressors.
A Twitter storm also broke out after AAP leader and former journalist Ashutosh was pictured climbing the gate of the BJP office in New Delhi.
While the AAP leader claimed he was requesting his supporters to stay calm, BJP leaders charged him with inciting violence.
"Why was Ashutosh leading the violent protests? We demand action against him," BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said.
Read: Kejriwal slams Modi, urges AAP workers to maintain peace
Kejriwal had on Wednesday accused the BJP of instigating violence in front of its headquarters in Delhi even as he apologised for some AAP activists "retaliating" while protesting his detention.
He claimed that AAP workers were first attacked by BJP supporters. Some of the agitated AAP workers had responded by pelting "two or three stones".
"I am sorry for the mistakes committed by the AAP workers. They should not have resorted to violence on my detention," he said.
He also blamed BJP workers for attacking his entourage while travelling in Gujarat and said the glass panes of his car were broken.
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