Mamata, Kejriwal among thousands detained amid anti-CEC protest in Delhi
New Delhi: Over 3,000 anti-CEC protesters, including Abhijeet Dipke of CJP and politicians like Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal, were detained in Delhi on Saturday as law enforcers threw an unprecedented security ring around the national capital to prevent chaos at Jantar Mantar, forcing the proposed agitation to break into several small gatherings across the city.
CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained around 10.30 a.m. by the police from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi while on their way to Jantar Mantar to stage a protest, demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the conduct of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde announced that the protesters will once again march towards Jantar Mantar on Sunday and will rest only after the resignation of the CEC.
The authorities had earlier denied permission for the demonstration and warned against unauthorised gatherings, imposing internet restrictions, roadblocks and traffic diversions to prevent a repeat of the CJP’s July protest at Jantar Mantar that turned violent.
The detained protesters were taken to different destinations, including Chhatrasal Stadium and various police stations, the police said. Most of them were released later in the evening.
Social media influencer Dhruv Rathee was also detained at his residence in Gurugram. According to a post on the X handle of the CJP, around 50 police personnel in plain clothes reached Rathee’s residence in Gurugram at around 8 a.m. and took him into custody.
Minor clashes were reported from some parts of the city. Stones were pelted at a bus carrying detained individuals in New Delhi’s Jhandewalan area when detained protesters were being taken away. Some protesters clashed with police near Akashwani Bhavan after breaking barricades, police said.
More than 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed in the capital in view of the protest. Forty-five Metro stations around Jantar Mantar were closed, internet curbs were imposed in central Delhi, barricades were installed, and traffic restrictions were imposed on dozens of stretches in Central Delhi since 6 a.m., and schools, colleges and courts were forced to shift to online mode for the day.
Drone surveillance is being conducted at key locations, while several Metro stations, including Supreme Court and Mandi House, have been closed as part of the security measures. Vehicles were checked at Delhi’s borders, while police personnel equipped with body cameras kept a close watch on demonstrators across the city.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is likely to hold a special sitting on Sunday to hear a contempt petition alleging that the blanket closure of Delhi Metro stations and train services in Delhi to prevent the gathering of anti-CEC protesters amounted to a violation of the Court’s order.
A bench of Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana is expected to hold the special hearing, said a lawyer representing petitioner Shailendra Mani Tripathi.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and the CJP for disrupting peace and security of capital residents for political interests, warning that they will not be allowed to hold the city hostage.
“Let it be known: Delhi will not be held hostage,” she said, vowing not to let anyone spread anarchy in the national capital.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday criticised the detention of young men and women exercising their right to protest, claiming that the security curbs for the CJP’s protest on SIR in Delhi show that the government is “terrified” that its “illegitimacy” is being exposed.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, in a post on social media platform X, said, “Our youth, students, lawyers, journalists, social activists, farm union leaders, YouTubers, content creators, everyone who is questioning this regime (BJP government) is being detained. Modi Govt has turned the ‘Mother of Democracy’ into a ‘Muzzled Democracy’.”
Jairam Ramesh, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications, said in a post on X, “The country’s capital has been turned into a fortress. Armed security personnel are deployed everywhere. The PM-HM duo is badly rattled and unnerved by the peaceful protests of concerned youth over the systematic attempt to strip away the right to vote granted under Article 326 of the Constitution.”
Mamata Banerjee was detained along with several MPs of the All India Trinamool Congress (Mamata faction) from South Avenue in central Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal, whose residence had been surrounded by Delhi Police since morning, was also detained as soon as he tried to step out to join the protest.
Kejriwal said, “They want to suppress this issue of ‘vote chori’ and continue doing it. But the people of this country will not allow this to happen.”