Former CMs Kejriwal, Mamata, Vijayan among oppn leaders detained
Several prominent Indian opposition leaders, including Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal, were detained by Delhi Police during protests against the Election Commission. The leaders condemned the detentions as an attempt to suppress democratic rights.
Why it matters
The mass detention of high-profile political figures signals a significant escalation in the conflict between the ruling government and the opposition regarding electoral integrity.
NEW DELHI: Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Kerala leader of opposition Pinarayi Vijayan were detained by Delhi Police on Saturday during protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.Banerjee was detained from South Avenue along with Trinamool Congress leaders Derek O'Brien, Dola Sen and other party members, PTI reported. CPM leaders were also detained during the demonstration.Meanwhile, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was also detained.Following their detention, CPM leaders took to social media to condemn the police action, while party leaders in Kerala denounced the move and called for protests.In a Facebook post shared after being taken into custody, Vijayan accused the NDA government of turning the national capital into an "open prison" and attempting to suppress protests through the deployment of armed police and paramilitary forces.Vijayan alleged that the protest was against attempts, with the support…
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in