Today, On 22nd May, A Delhi court granted bail to the individual accused of defacing metro property with graffiti targeting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The man had been detained for the politically charged act. The court’s decision allows him temporary freedom as legal proceedings continue.
New Delhi: A Delhi court, On Wednesday, in the region granted bail to a 33-year-old man from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, who accused of scrawling graffiti targeting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at Delhi metro stations and inside train coaches.
The accused, Ankit Goel, brought before a magistrate’s court in the afternoon, and the court granted him bail. The bail granted on the grounds that the offenses under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) charged against the accused bailable.
The full court order is still pending.
Goel, who works as a loan manager at a public sector bank in Bareilly, arrested on Wednesday and brought to Delhi.
Earlier this week, several social media posts featuring the graffiti targeting the Delhi Chief Minister had gone viral, prompting a strong condemnation from the Aam Aadmi Party. Shortly after, an online video also surfaced, showing a man writing on the walls of a metro station.
On Monday, the Delhi Police initiated a First Information Report (FIR) following the discovery of graffiti inside Metro stations and coaches, containing threats directed at Chief Minister Kejriwal.
G. Ram Gopal Naik stated Deputy Commissioner of Police (Metro), stated,
“During the investigation, law enforcement thoroughly reviewed pertinent CCTV footage within the respective Metro stations to trace the perpetrator’s movements, thereby establishing their identity and the sequence of events,”
The investigation further unveiled that the suspect boarded a train from Barakhamba Metro station and proceeded to deface Metro property at multiple locations by travelling to different stations.
In the captured footage, the suspect observed not only vandalizing Metro property but also recording videos of the graffiti, subsequently shared on social media.
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During interrogation, Ankit disclosed that he arrived in Delhi on May 13 for personal reasons and lodged in various hotels across Delhi-NCR.
The DCP stated,
“Ankit asserted that he had been receiving treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Additionally, he confessed that on May 19, he voluntarily defaced various Metro premises and trains with graffiti,”
The graffiti, which appeared to be politically motivated, sparked a significant law enforcement and legal response due to its public nature and the high-profile target.