NEW DELHI: AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal was detained on Thursday after she dumped garbage outside former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence in protest against the city’s waste crisis.

Maliwal, along with her supporters, collected trash from the streets of Vikaspuri, loaded it onto three mini trucks, and drove to Kejriwal’s house on Ferozeshah Road. Once there, she began dumping the garbage outside his residence. Soon after, female police officers stopped her and removed her from the site.

Several women carrying placards that read “Muskuraiye, AAP Delhi Mein Hain” (Smile, You Are in AAP’s Delhi) were seen near Kejriwal’s home. Maliwal arrived at the scene in one of the garbage trucks. Earlier, she had posted a video on X showing her team gathering waste in Vikaspuri.

“For years, garbage has been piling up on Vikaspuri’s roads, and people are frustrated. Today, they are bringing this trash to Kejriwal’s doorstep,” she wrote in her post.

She further stated, “The entire city is suffering from filth and unbearable stench. What Delhiites deal with daily, Kejriwal will experience today. The public is coming, Kejriwal ji, don’t be afraid.”

Following the protest, security around Kejriwal’s residence was tightened. A senior police officer confirmed, “Barricades have been put up, and extra personnel have been deployed to maintain order and nobody will be permitted to break the law.”

Maliwal’s Ongoing Feud with AAP

Maliwal’s relationship with AAP has been strained since last year when she accused Kejriwal’s personal secretary of misbehaving with her during a visit to his residence. The case is currently in court.

This is not the first time she has staged such a protest. In November, Maliwal poured ‘polluted water’ outside Delhi Minister Atishi’s residence, claiming it was the same contaminated water being supplied to the people of the capital. A few weeks later, Kejriwal and other AAP leaders blamed Haryana for releasing high levels of ammonia into the Yamuna, affecting Delhi’s water supply.

Maliwal’s actions highlight the ongoing political tensions within AAP and the growing frustration over Delhi’s waste management crisis.