Gujarat AAP MLA arrested for attempted murder

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Chaitar Vasava was arrested late on Saturday (July 5, 2025) night on charges of attempted murder after allegedly assaulting a taluka panchayat functionary during a heated altercation in Dediapada, Narmada district, police confirmed on Sunday (July 6, 2025).  

The clash erupted on Saturday (July 5, 2025) during a meeting in Vasava’s constituency, Dediapada. According to the FIR filed at Dediapada police station, the MLA became enraged after his nominee was overlooked for appointment to the local-level coordination committee, ‘Aapno Taluko Vibrant Taluko’ (ATVT).

According to the FIR filed at Dediapada police station, Mr. Vasava became agitated and verbally abused a woman panchayat president before physically attacking Dediapada taluka panchayat president Sanjay Vasava. The MLA allegedly hurled a mobile phone at him, causing head injuries, and then attempted to strike him with a glass. When the glass shattered, Mr. Vasava reportedly picked up the shards, threatened to kill the complainant, and chased him before he escaped. The FIR also accuses the MLA of damaging office property.  

Police charged Vasava under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including attempted murder, insulting a woman’s modesty, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation, and property damage. Following the arrest, authorities imposed Section 144 in Dediapada to prevent unrest, restricting public gatherings.  

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal condemned the arrest, calling it political vendetta by the BJP after AAP’s recent victory in the Visavadar bypoll. In a post on X, Mr. Kejriwal accused the BJP of targeting Mr. Vasava out of frustration and warned that the people of Gujarat would respond to such tactics. “After losing to AAP in the Visavadar by-election, BJP is rattled. If they think such arrests will scare AAP, it’s their biggest mistake. The people of Gujarat are now fed up with BJP’s misrule, BJP’s hooliganism, and dictatorship, and the people of Gujarat will now give BJP an answer,” his post read. 

Security remains tight in the area as investigations continue.