A still from a video posted by the AAP on its Twitter account shows Anil Kumar being held after he allegedly threw chilli powder at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, outside his chamber at Delhi Secretariat in New Delhi, on November 20, 2018 | Photo Credit: PTI

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday stoked a big controversy, a day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was attacked outside his office in the Delhi Secretariat. In a controversial tweet, the AAP compared the attack on Kejriwal to Mahatma Gandhi's assassination.

The Delhi Police later recounted the incident but did not mention whether the man threw chilli powder, as alleged by the AAP leaders, at Kejriwal. The statement, however, mentioned that the man carried a pouch which apparently contained chilli powder.

The CCTV footage showed that a middle-aged man, later identified as Anil Sharma, bent down to touch Kejriwal's feet and swiftly rose up in a bid to attack his face but the Chief Minister's security staff caught hold on him.

Later, news agency PTI mentioned sources as saying that 40-year-old Sharma managed to enter into the Delhi Secretariat after being issued a pass to go to PGMS unit of the government.

They added that Sharma had gone to the secretariat allegedly seeking help for an ailing relative. "He was seeking help for an ailing relative. The pass was issued to him after a call was received from PGMS located in the secretariat," they said.

While addressing a press conference, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had later asked: "What if he would carry a weapon?" He further alleged a "conspiracy" between the BJP and the Delhi Police for the attack on Kejriwal.

The incident occurred at around 2.25 pm on the third floor of the Delhi Secretariat. "When the CM was coming out of his chamber, one person later identified as Anil tried to hand over his complaint to the Chief Minister who in turn passed it to a staff member," the Delhi Police statement said. The statement further mentioned that Kejriwal's spectacles fell off when his staff took him away.