Delhi Police Release AAP MLA After Alleged Abduction

The Delhi Police released East Delhi MLA Kuldeep Kumar at 3:48 PM on August 18, following a habeas corpus petition filed in the Delhi High Court. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged that 20 to 25 plainclothes officers abducted Kumar from his residence at approximately 4:00 AM that morning, smashing CCTV cameras and seizing the DVR during the operation.

Kumar had been leading protests for the family of Anil Kumar, a Municipal Corporation of Delhi sanitation worker who was stabbed to death in Kalyanpuri on August 16. Protesters blocked the removal of the body from Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, demanding 1 crore rupees in compensation and a government job for the victim's family. AAP leaders accused the police of attempting to force a cremation to suppress these demands.

While the Delhi Police stated the murder of the sanitation worker resulted from personal enmity, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal condemned the detention as thuggery. The Delhi High Court closed the habeas corpus plea once Kumar's release was confirmed but noted that the MLA remains entitled to seek legal remedies for the alleged illegal detention and property damage.