Kejriwal visits police station as AAP claims 500 students received legal help after protest arrests

On Friday, Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal walked into the Mandir Marg police station, ostensibly to meet a handful of youngsters who had been picked up during the recent Jantar Mantar and Parliament marches. He told them, in plain language, that he would stay put until they were let out – a gesture that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is now trumpeting as a sign of solidarity.

According to party sources, the move seemed to have an immediate impact. Within hours, police released about 70‑80 students from Mandir Marg, Parliament Street and a few other precincts. AAP even says a missing student from the Ashok Vihar neighbourhood was tracked down and reunited with family, thanks to the frantic calls flooding their newly‑set‑up helpline.

The helpline – 8588833548 – was activated on Kejriwal’s orders. Since then, it has been buzzing non‑stop with messages and voice notes from students seeking bail, medical aid or simply a listening ear. The party insists that around 500 students and young activists have already been helped, whether through filing court petitions, arranging doctors or just escorting them to the station.

“This isn’t just a political stunt,” an AAP spokesperson said in a press brief. “It’s about protecting the constitutional right of young people to voice their concerns, peacefully, without fearing the police.” The party drew parallels with its earlier support for the farmers’ movement, positioning itself as a consistent ally of mass‑based protests.

Critics, however, argue that the narrative may be part‑political theatre, aimed at bolstering the party’s image ahead of upcoming elections. Yet for many families, the helpline has become a lifeline. One mother, who asked to remain anonymous, whispered, “When the police called, we were terrified. Then someone answered our call, sent a lawyer, and my son was out the next day.”

The AAP legal team says they are still on the ground, shuttling between police stations, hospitals and courtrooms. They promise the assistance will continue as long as the protests linger, and they urge any student feeling stuck to dial the helpline.

Whether Kejriwal’s presence at the police station will translate into lasting reforms remains to be seen. For now, the message is clear: the party wants the narrative to be that no student will be left to fend for themselves when the state pushes back.