Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal were detained in Delhi on Saturday as the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest demanding the resignation
of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar took place in the capital. Banerjee was detained along with several Trinamool Congress leaders during a protest near her South Avenue residence.
The detentions came amid extensive security arrangements across Delhi for the CJP demonstration at Jantar Mantar. The protest centres on allegations of irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls and demands Kumar’s resignation. The Election Commission has maintained that the voter-roll exercise involves verification and that eligible voters removed from the draft rolls can enrol again.
VIDEO | Delhi: AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal detained during protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
(Source: Third Party)
(Full video available on PTI Videos – ptivideos – https://t.co/d8jp61yd2p) https://t.co/pwiC8Tup30
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The AAP leader had earlier announced that he would participate in the CJP protest along with his family. Earlier on Saturday, AAP alleged that Kejriwal’s residence had been placed under heavy security. Hindustan Times reported that Kejriwal had criticised the detention of CJP leaders and described the situation as “worse than the Emergency”.
Several CJP leaders were also detained after arriving in Delhi. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, along with Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained at Indira Gandhi International Airport. A senior police officer confirmed their detention. More than 1,500 CJP supporters were also reported to have been detained from different parts of Delhi as preventive measures.
Delhi Police deployed thousands of personnel across the capital, with reports putting the deployment at around 35,000 police and paramilitary personnel. Barricades, vehicle checks and other security measures were put in place around central Delhi and routes leading towards the protest site.
Public transport was also affected by the security arrangements. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation restricted entry and exit at 45 stations from 9 pm on Friday until 6 pm on Saturday, while interchange facilities remained available at the affected stations except New Delhi. The number was subsequently revised down from an earlier list of 57 stations.
