Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Vadodara city unit president Ashok Oza has denied Gujarat Police allegations that he orchestrated a fake Intelligence Bureau (IB) verification call targeting a party worker, claiming instead that he was falsely implicated and subjected to interrogation focused on the party's internal structure and finances. Oza's rebuttal, made public on Sunday, 1 June, marks the latest flashpoint in a controversy that has drawn in senior AAP leadership and triggered a sharp political exchange with the Gujarat government.

Background: How the Controversy Began

The episode traces back to 28 May, when former Delhi MLA and AAP leader Durgesh Pathak alleged on social media platform X that Gujarat Police's IB wing was intimidating AAP workers in the state. AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal subsequently amplified the claim, stating he had personally dialled the number in question and raised concerns about whether party workers were being subjected to harassment by intelligence officials.

Following those social media allegations, Anand Cyber Crime Police launched an investigation after tracing the cited phone number to a person residing in Anand. The probe led to the arrest of Oza and one Nitin Dobariya.

What Police Allege

According to investigators, a call was made to party worker Keshav Chauhan by someone falsely claiming to be calling from the 'Karelibaug IB Office'. Police alleged the call was part of a conspiracy rooted in internal party rivalry — specifically, that Oza viewed Chauhan as a political rival after the latter was assigned organisational responsibilities in Vadodara. The alleged intent, police said, was to intimidate Chauhan and pressure him to leave the city.

The case has been registered at Anand Cyber Crime Police Station under Sections 61(2), 204 and 351(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act, which pertains to cheating by personation using digital means.

Oza's Counter-Narrative

Responding publicly for the first time since his arrest, Oza flatly rejected the police version. 'I only want to say one thing: the call that was made was a call I made to the IB to ask, ‘What requirement do you have?’ Our office-bearer Keshav Chauhan was also present on the conference call. I did not make the phone call to say, ‘You do this and call pretending to be from the IB,’' he said.

Oza further alleged that after being taken into custody, he was questioned for approximately two hours by a woman who identified herself as a Police Inspector (PI). He claimed the interrogation had little to do with the alleged call and instead focused on the party's organisational history and funding sources.

'Setting everything else aside, when I was taken away, a lady came and identified herself as a PI. She spoke with me in a room for two hours and only asked me about the party's old and new organisational structure,' he said. He added: 'The lady asked me where our funding in Gujarat comes from, where our Vadodara funding comes from, and where the funds came from for Kejriwal's stay from 24 to 26 May.'

Political Fallout and Sanghavi's Response

Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi hit back at AAP's framing of the episode, accusing Kejriwal of deliberately misrepresenting the facts. Sanghavi said the phone number highlighted by AAP belonged to 'your own man' and questioned why the party was portraying the caller as an IB officer.

Oza, in turn, directly challenged Sanghavi: 'Today, I want to ask Harsh Sanghavi directly: do you want to engage in politics by detaining people, threatening people and filing false cases against them?' He also questioned the credentials of the officer who interrogated him, referring to her as 'Madam Parmar' and stating, 'From no angle did she seem to me to be a PI.'

What Happens Next

The investigation remains ongoing at Anand Cyber Crime Police Station. Oza has maintained his innocence and reaffirmed loyalty to AAP: 'There is no conspiracy on my part. I am a loyal member of the AAP and I will always remain loyal.' With both sides hardening their positions, the case is likely to remain a political flashpoint ahead of any further legal proceedings.