Mamata Banerjee, Kejriwal detained in Delhi amid crackdown ahead of CJP protest
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said the situation in Delhi had gone “beyond Emergency” after she and several party leaders were detained while staging a protest on South Avenue, as Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal was also taken into custody while marching towards Jantar Mantar.
The opposition leaders were seeking to join a demonstration called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Banerjee, along with TMC joint secretaries Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen, Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam, Lok Sabha MP Pratima Mondal and former MP Saket Gokhale, held a dharna at a bus stop on South Avenue after police allegedly stopped them from proceeding to Jantar Mantar, around 5 km away.
The TMC said the leaders were denied permission to leave the area. Banerjee, who wore a band-aid over her mouth, held placards with the other protesters and said they had planned to sit there until 5 pm before being detained by Delhi Police.
“This has gone beyond an Emergency; it has become a Super Emergency,” Banerjee said, adding that maintaining peace and remaining calm was important but the authorities' actions were not right for the country or its people.
Speaking to PTI Videos, she said the leaders had been invited by CJP students and youth and wanted to express solidarity with them, the INDIA alliance and other organisations.
“So many leaders have already been detained, and nobody is being allowed to enter Jantar Mantar, including us,” she said.
Banerjee also alleged that AAP leader Kejriwal had been prevented from leaving his residence, although he was scheduled to meet her on Saturday.
Kejriwal was detained by police outside his residence while marching towards Jantar Mantar to participate in the protest. He had earlier criticised the Centre over the security restrictions imposed in central Delhi and the detention of CJP leaders.
AAP leader Atishi condemned Kejriwal's detention in a post on X, asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi how many people would be put behind bars to protect the chief election commissioner.
On Friday, Kejriwal had said that he and his family would attend the protest and urged young people to join the demonstration over alleged “vote theft”.
Banerjee also referred to the detention of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other CPI(M) leaders, claiming she had received information that Vijayan had been driven around Delhi for nearly two hours after being taken into custody.
“We felt it was better to sit here on the road and make our position clear; our message is simple — Save India and Save Democracy,” she said.
The detentions took place amid heightened security across the capital ahead of the CJP-led protest, with police restricting access to Jantar Mantar and detaining several opposition leaders and demonstrators.
