AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal announced on Tuesday, 21 July 2026 that he was personally travelling to Mandir Marg police station in central Delhi to secure the release of 11 children reported to be in police custody, while also flagging a separate missing-child complaint his office was pursuing with authorities.

Context

Posting in Hindi on X, Kejriwal wrote: 'Mandir Marg thane mein 11 bacchon ko arrest kiya hua hai. Main abhi Mandir Marg ja raha hoon in sabhi bacchon ko chhudhwane ke liye.' ('11 children have been arrested at Mandir Marg police station. I am going to Mandir Marg right now to get all these children released.')

He added that a complaint regarding a missing child had also reached his team, and that they were 'continuously trying to find out about the child from the police.' He shared a helpline number — 85-888-33548 — urging anyone facing difficulty to reach out by message.

Policy Backdrop

Delhi Police operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs, not the elected Delhi government — a structural divide that has repeatedly produced friction between AAP administrations and the central law-enforcement apparatus. While the state government handles most civic functions, it has no direct command over police operations in the capital.

AAP has since 2015 run citizen helplines specifically to channel complaints about police and administrative inaction, positioning the party as a direct grievance-redressal body. Kejriwal's personal intervention at a police station follows this established pattern of high-visibility public engagement on local enforcement matters.

Stakeholders and Impact

The most immediate stakeholders are the families of the 11 minors said to be in custody at Mandir Marg and the family of the child reported missing. For these families, Kejriwal's public announcement and physical presence at the station signals political pressure on the police to act swiftly.

Child-welfare advocates and legal-aid organisations operating in Delhi are also watching the case, as the detention of minors triggers specific procedural obligations under the Juvenile Justice Act, including mandatory notification of parents and production before a Juvenile Justice Board within a defined timeframe.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to Delhi Police's formal response — whether it confirms the detention, clarifies the grounds, and provides an update on the missing-child complaint. Child-welfare authorities may also weigh in if procedural norms were not followed during the detention of the minors.

Any follow-up statement from Kejriwal after his visit to the station is expected to shape the next political beat on this story, particularly given the ongoing jurisdictional tension between the elected Delhi government and the centrally controlled police force.