Kejriwal arrest: Hope elections in India are free and fair, says United Nations

The United Nations said on Thursday that it hopes the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in India are held in a free and fair atmosphere.

“What we very much hope that in India, as in any country that is having elections, that everyone’s rights are protected, including political and civil rights, and everyone is able to vote in an atmosphere that is free and fair,” Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said while responding to a media query on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in connection with the Delhi liquor excise policy case. He is the first sitting chief minister to have been arrested.

Dujarric’s remarks came a day after the United States reiterated that it “encouraged “fair, transparent, and timely legal processes”.

Mathew Miller, the US State Department’s spokesperson, in a media briefing on Wednesday, said Washington was also aware of the Congress party’s allegations that the Income Tax Department had frozen some of its bank accounts in a manner that would make it challenging to campaign effectively.

Spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday that Miller’s remarks were “unwarranted”.

“Any such external imputation on our electoral and legal processes is completely unacceptable,” said Jaiswal. “In...

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