AAP's Saurabh Bhardwaj detained during candle march over Delhi biker's death

While talking to the media during detention, Saurabh Bhardwaj alleged the police were detaining AAP leaders despite them having gathered only to pay tribute to the deceased, calling it a reflection of 'dictatorship'.

Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi minister Saurabh Bhardwaj was briefly detained on Sunday as he, along with several of his party colleagues, attempted to march towards the site in Delhi's Janakpuri where a biker died after falling into a 15-feet deep pit dug by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

Kamal Dhyani, a private bank employee working in Rohini’s Sector 10, was returning home on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday when he accidentally fell into a pit dug for a sewer pipeline restoration project.

On Sunday, Bharadwaj and other AAP leaders took out a march to light candles at the site in Dhyani's memory. They were, however, detained by Delhi Police before they could reach their destination.

Speaking with the media amid the chaos, Bhardwaj alleged that AAP leaders were being detained despite having gathered only to pay tributes to the deceased. He called the police action a reflection of "dictatorship".

#WATCH | Delhi | AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bhardwaj says, "You can see the level of dictatorship. No one lodged a complaint, even when the parents of Kamal Dhyani (who died after falling into a pit on his bike in Janakpuri on 5th Feb) went to six police stations. The police are pic.twitter.com/kTCcQNgYDp— ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2026

A senior police officer said the action was taken as the AAP leaders were attempting to stage a protest. "They were removed from the spot and were detained. They were taken to a nearby police station and later released," he said.