By A correspondent
Several Congress MPs, senior leaders and workers were detained by the police as the party organised protest in Delhi against price rise and unemployment. They were released after about six hours.
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K C Venugopal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Gaurav Gogoi were among those detained and taken away from Vijay Chowk, outside AICC headquarters and other places in the National Capital.
“Congress MPs have just been released after being detained for almost 6 hours for protesting peacefully and democratically against price rise, unemployment and GST,” Jairam Ramesh, who had also been detained, tweeted.
The Congress has opposed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike on essential items.
In a statement, the Delhi Police said a total 335 protesters, including 65 MPs, had been detained under the Delhi Police Act in order to “maintain law and order” in the area.
Intimation about detention of MPs/MLAs is being sent to the respective competent authorities, the police said.
The protesters were appropriately warned about the prohibitory orders in force in the area and repeatedly requested to disperse from the area, the police said.
Videos of Priyanka Gandhi being dragged into a police van went viral on social media, with Opposition parties condemning the action. The Congress also put out a video of Rahul Gandhi and other leaders being taken away in a bus, with a patriotic song in the background to amplify its message.
The protest was planned and announced several days in advance. Police had denied permission for it, and the local administration even banned assembly of people. Citing these restrictions, the leaders were detained.
Earlier in the day, led by party chief Sonia Gandhi, Congress MPs wore black clothes in Parliament. Proceedings were adjourned as Congress members created an uproar over the alleged misuse of probe agencies by the government.
As part of the protest thereafter, party MPs were going to hold a “Chalo Rashtrapati Bhavan” march from Parliament. And Congress Working Committee (CWC) members, besides other senior leaders, planned to take part in “PM House gherao”. These marches couldn’t be held as police barricaded several parts of central Delhi.
Ahead of the protest, Rahul Gandhi said, “We’re witnessing the death of democracy. What India has built brick by brick, starting almost a century ago, is being destroyed in front of your eyes. Anybody who stands against this idea of onset of dictatorship is viciously attacked, jailed, arrested and beaten up.”