'Delhi Police Kidnapped Us': TMC's Saket Gokhale As Party MPs Detained For Protest Outside ECI Office

The Delhi Police detained TMC leaders who were sitting on a protest outside the EC office, demanding that the chiefs of the CBI, NIA, ED, and Income Tax Department be changed.

TMC Delegation Protest: The Delhi Police on Monday detained Trinamool Congress leaders who were sitting on a protest outside the Election Commission of India office in Delhi, demanding that the chiefs of the CBI, NIA, ED, and Income Tax Department be changed.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale claimed that the detained delegation was told they would be taken to Mandir Marg police station in the national capital, whereas, the bus was leading them to an unknown location.

In a post on X, Gokhale said that the Delhi Police kidnapped TMC MPs were protesting at the EC offce.  “Delhi Police has kidnapped us 5 TMC MPs & 4 former MPs. We were protesting at EC & were told we’ll be taken to Mandir Marg Police Station. And then, suddenly, the bus has been diverted & going to an unknown location,” he said.

The delegation of TMC leaders, which sat on a 24-hour dharna outside the EC office, included Derek O'Brien, Dola Sen, Saket Gokhale and Sagarika Ghose. This came after the delegation met a full bench of the apex poll body over their demands. The TMC has been alleging that the central probe agencies have been targeting opposition parties at the behest of the BJP-led Centre.

Speaking to reporters at the Kolkata airport before leaving for New Delhi, Sen said, "The BJP is misusing central agencies against us. The way NIA, ED and CBI are working and targeting TMC leaders is shameful. We would request the EC to ensure a level playing field for all political parties," as quoted by PTI.  

Speaking to reporters during the protest, Sagarika Ghose said, "We have been protesting against the manner in which the central agencies - ED, CBI, IT, NIA - are acting on behalf of the BJP in the general elections of 2024. We have just met the full bench of the Election Commission, and we have demanded that the Election Commission urgently intervene and protect the sanctity of the election process," as quoted by PTI.

TMC MP Saugata Roy said that the EC is not working impartially and we need to raise our voices. "Election Commission is not working impartially, we should raise our voices against it. Our two Rajya Sabha MPs Dola Sen and Derek O'Brien have been taken into custody by the police, I strongly condemn this," Roy said. 

The TMC alleged on Sunday an "unholy alliance" between the NIA and the BJP ahead of elections, prompting the central investigating agency to deny any mala fide intention and label the entire controversy as "unfortunate".

Last week on Satuday, a team of the NIA was allegedly attacked by a mob when it went to arrest two main suspects in a 2022 blast case in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district, sparking a political slugfest with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accusing the investigators of assaulting the villagers.