What Led to the Detention of Prominent Opposition Leaders in Delhi?

Opposition Leaders Detained During Protest in Delhi

New Delhi: On Saturday, multiple leaders from the Opposition, including Mamata Banerjee, the former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP national convener and ex-Delhi CM, and Pinarayi Vijayan, the former Chief Minister of Kerala, were apprehended by police while attempting to participate in a protest organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in the capital against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Mamata Banerjee, along with several All India Trinamool Congress MPs, was detained at South Avenue in central Delhi, where she staged a sit-in at a bus stop after police intervention.

During the protest, Banerjee, accompanied by five party MPs including Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen, was taken away in a police vehicle. She was seen with a band-aid over her mouth.

In a video statement from the police bus, Banerjee expressed, "The government is treating us poorly," and emphasized that the INDIA bloc would persist in advocating for the people's voice.

Arvind Kejriwal, who found his residence surrounded by police since the morning, was also detained as he attempted to leave for the protest.

Before his detention, Kejriwal remarked to reporters, "Police and paramilitary forces are everywhere. Citizens are being restricted from leaving their homes... They are detaining individuals simply for walking on the streets. An atmosphere of authoritarianism has been established nationwide. Why? They aim to conceal the issue of 'vote chori' and continue their actions. However, the citizens will not permit this to happen."

He further urged the public to come to Delhi to protest against the alleged vote theft, warning that the future of the country and its democracy is at stake.

Among those detained were former Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI-M MP John Brittas, who were taken to a detention facility at Chhatrasal Stadium.

CPI-M General Secretary M.A. Baby was also among those apprehended.

Earlier that day, CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka were detained at Indira Gandhi International Airport while en route to Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral roll irregularities.