Rahul, Priyanka detained for second time during anti-CEC stir; released

New Delhi : The INDIA bloc intensified its protest in Delhi, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over 'vote chori' allegations, leading to the detention of prominent leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra by Delhi Police.

INDIA bloc MPs staged a sit-in at Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged 'vote chori'.

Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were forcibly removed and detained by Delhi Police while attempting to reach the protest site.

Priyanka Gandhi alleged police brutality, stating she was "scratched all over" and thrown to the ground during her detention.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the detentions, calling it an act by an "arrogant regime" and alleging an alliance between the government and the Election Commission.

The protest follows an earlier eight-hour dharna after opposition leaders were denied a meeting with election commissioners.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among around 90 people detained by the Delhi police on Wednesday after they were stopped from proceeding towards Jantar Mantar to stage a protest, officials said.

Leaders Detained Amidst Protests

They were taken to different police stations and Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were released a little after 8 PM from police detention.

Rahul Gandhi was detained and taken to Barakhamba police station, while Priyanka Gandhi was taken to Chhatrasal Stadium, the officials said.

The leaders, along with several other opposition MPs and Congress workers, were travelling in buses towards Jantar Mantar when police stopped them from proceeding further. They subsequently staged a sit-in at a roundabout near the Shangri-La hotel in central Delhi.

Priyanka Gandhi and several women leaders lay on the road while carrying a copy of the Constitution as security personnel gathered at the spot and began removing the protesters.

Rahul Gandhi was first removed by security personnel and carried on their shoulders before being put inside a police bus.

Several Congress leaders, including Amarinder Singh, Raja Warring and Udai Bhanu Chib, climbed atop the bus carrying Rahul Gandhi, while Mumtaz Patel sat on its bonnet as the police tried to move the vehicle.

A large contingent of women police personnel subsequently removed Priyanka Gandhi and the other women protesters from the road and put them into buses.

"This is how they treat members of Parliament who are asking simply to meet the election commissioners. This is how they treat us. They are beating members of Parliament," Priyanka Gandhi said

Allegations of Police Brutality and Political Condemnation

The Congress alleged that the police bus carrying Rahul Gandhi was punctured near Agrasen ki Baoli after Congress workers punctured its tyres. Gandhi was subsequently shifted to another police bus and taken to the Barakhamba police station, according to the party.

The detentions came a day after the Delhi police registered an FIR against Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and their supporters for allegedly forcibly entering Akashvani Bhawan during a protest on October 6, the officials said.

The FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint alleging that the two Congress leaders, their supporters and other MPs accompanying them entered the Akashvani Bhawan premises without permission, the police said.

Medico-legal examinations of two security guards at Akashvani Bhawan were also conducted after they allegedly sustained injuries when Congress MPs and their supporters tried to enter the premises forcibly, officials said.

The police also photographed portions of the Akashvani Bhawan premises after some walls were reportedly damaged during the sit-in protest. The exact charges in the FIR have not been disclosed.

Asked about the FIR, Rahul Gandhi said, "I have 45 FIRs against me. My target is that there should be 100 FIRs against me. Every FIR against me is a medal for me."

On Tuesday, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi were among around 260 people detained after an over eight-hour sit-in inside Akashvani Bhawan following an opposition march towards the Election Commission office that was stopped by police.

The October 6 march had been planned from Parliament House to the Election Commission office.

The Delhi police had said no application seeking permission for the march was submitted to the office of the deputy commissioner of police, New Delhi, and no permission had been granted.

The protest on Wednesday was similarly stopped before the leaders could reach Jantar Mantar, following which the participants staged a sit-in at the roundabout and were subsequently removed and detained by the police.

Further details are awaited.