Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee was reportedly detained by Delhi Police on Saturday after staging a sit-in outside her residence with party MPs, following allegations that she had been prevented from leaving the premises, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.
In a Facebook post earlier in the day, Ghosh alleged that police had stopped Banerjee from leaving her residence and had not allowed her to stage a protest. He said the West Bengal Chief Minister had responded by sitting outside the house alongside members of Parliament.
The reported detention comes amid heightened security across the national capital ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar, where protesters are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The circumstances surrounding Banerjee’s reported detention, including the police’s stated reasons for the action, were not independently confirmed in the latest reports available at the time of writing.
Mamata Banerjee had travelled to Delhi for Opposition protests
Banerjee travelled to Delhi to participate in the INDIA bloc’s protests over alleged electoral irregularities and the SIR exercise. On Friday, October 9, she joined a delegation of Opposition leaders that met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan to submit a memorandum raising concerns over alleged ‘vote chori’.
The delegation was led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. It also included representatives of several Opposition parties.
Following the meeting, Banerjee said the President had assured the delegation that she would examine the concerns raised by its members.
The TMC chief had also expressed solidarity with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over the police action against Opposition leaders during earlier protests in Delhi. She criticised the restrictions on demonstrations and argued that political leaders should be allowed to raise concerns over electoral processes.
Banerjee had said on Thursday that she might join the CJP’s October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar, although she had not confirmed her participation at that stage.
Security tightened across Delhi ahead of CJP protest
Delhi Police intensified security measures ahead of the CJP’s planned demonstration, denying permission for the gathering and deploying personnel at multiple locations across the capital.
The arrangements included barricades, road restrictions, checks at entry points and the closure of gates at several metro stations. Mobile internet services were also suspended in a designated area around the protest zone.
Police said the restrictions were intended to maintain law and order after permission for the proposed gathering had been denied. The CJP, meanwhile, maintained that its agitation would continue despite the detention of its leaders.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, co-convenor Saurav Das and spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka were detained after their flight landed at Delhi airport on Saturday. YouTuber Dhruv Rathee was also reportedly detained at his home in Gurugram, with reports indicating that those detained had been taken to different locations.
Political tensions rise over protest restrictions
The reported detention of Banerjee adds to the dispute over the authorities’ handling of demonstrations against the Election Commission. Opposition leaders have accused the government and police of restricting peaceful dissent, while the authorities have cited security and law-and-order concerns to justify their measures.
The CJP has said its campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will continue nationwide, regardless of whether its prominent leaders are present.
The circumstances surrounding Banerjee’s reported detention and the police’s position on the incident remain to be clarified.