Delhi Police Detains Congress Leaders as Rahul Gandhi Appears at ED Office

Police has imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in the area around the party’s headquarters.

New Delhi: Delhi Police has detained Congress leaders who had appeared at the party headquarters in the city’s Akbar Road and some of those who attempted to reach the Enforcement Directorate office in support of Rahul Gandhi who appeared before the ED on Monday, June 13.

Among those detained are Ashok Gehlot, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Mallikarjun Kharge, Mukul Wasnik, Harish Rawat, Jairam Ramesh, and K.C. Venugopal.

Gehlot tweeted at around noon that he and other senior Congress leaders were made to get up on a Delhi Police bus while on their way to the ED’s office and were being taken to another end of the city.

Congress workers and leaders organised a small march which Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were also a part of. At Motilal Nehru Marg, the siblings got up on a car headed to the ED’s office.

Along with the Delhi Police, members of the CRPF and the Rapid Action Force were also present at the Janpath Road area and near the ED office.

Gandhi has been summoned by the ED in an alleged money laundering case pertaining to the party-promoted National Herald paper. He was earlier summoned on June 2 but had sought time as he was abroad at the time.

Ahead of the march the Delhi Police had imposed Section 144 CrPC in the area around the party’s headquarters.

“Section 144 CrPC is imposed here. It is requested to all of you that do not violate the Act 144 CrPC otherwise strict legal action will be taken,” said an order from deputy commissioner of police, New Delhi district.

Taking to the media, Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel said the whole nation is witnessing the ruling party’s “dictatorship”.

“Congress workers were being stopped from reaching the party headquarters. The entire area has been cordoned off and police have been deployed all around in an attempt to crush democracy. It is the democratic right of the opposition party to hold protests and the BJP is trying to suppress the Opposition,” Baghel told reporters.

NDTV has reported that Delhi Police last night refused permission for the protest march, citing the “communal and law and order situation” and VVIP movements.

Earlier in the morning, Congress leaders had alleged that the Delhi police has barricaded all entry points to the Congress headquarters, preventing the entry and exit of people.

All MPs of the Congress party had planned to assemble at the party office and walk with Rahul Gandhi to the ED office in a procession.

Congress whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore took to a Twitter to say that, “We plan to march with our leader @RahulGandhi .. come if you r in Delhi, let’s march to ED office from our party office 24, Akbar Road.”

 

“We are ready to face the 2.0 version of Hitler-Goebbels police who want to stop us from reaching party office. I will join,” he said using hashtag “#BJP_Vendetta_Exposed”.

Congress had earlier said its leaders Sonia Gandhi (who has also been summoned) and Rahul will appear before the Enforcement Directorate as they have “nothing to hide from the probe agency”, and that the Bharatiya Janata Party should take lessons from it.

Note: This article, first published at 10.04 am on June 13, 2022, was republished at 3.45 pm on the same day with updates of more detentions. This is a developing story and is being updated as information comes in.