New Delhi: Leaders of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), who sat on a 24-hour dharna outside the Election Commission's office here, demanding that the chiefs of CBI, NIA, ED and Income Tax Department be changed, were detained by Delhi Police on Monday afternoon.
Visuals from the spot showed police pushing and dragging some of them and loading them onto a bus. Slamming the detention of its leaders, TMC went all guns blazing on its X handle with multiple posts directly targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
"The shameless zamindars of Delhi are at it again! The Delhi Police at the orders of HM @AmitShah detained our 10 - member delegation who were sitting on a peaceful protest outside of the @ECISVEEP office in Delhi. This a huge stain on our democracy which is on the verge of slipping into a dictatorship under the misgovernance of PM @narendramodi. We urge the ECI to intervene with immediate effect as our democracy faces unthinkable dangers in the hands of the BJP," TMC posted on X and shared pictures and videos of its leaders being detained.
In another post, the party called the detention of its leaders as "an attack on democracy". "Initially, our leaders were told that they were being taken to Mandir Marg Police Station but now the van has taken a detour and is headed to an undisclosed location. We're deeply troubled and concerned about their safety. Should any harm befall them, HM@AmitShah you shall be held accountable!" TMC said in the post.
In yet another post, the party said its MPs were "stranded in the middle of nowhere". "Our MPs are stranded in the middle of nowhere. They're being UNLAWFULLY restrained to a confined space – pushed, shoved and manhandled inside the police van. The Delhi Police is refusing to share any details on where they are being taken. Let it be known to all that this MASS-KIDNAPPING of our representatives is happening on HM @AmitShah's watch!" the post read.
Earlier in the day, a delegation of the TMC leaders, including Derek O'Brien, Dola Sen, Saket Gokhale and Sagarika Ghose, met a full bench of the Election Commission (EC) 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. "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," Sen told reporters at the Kolkata airport before leaving for New Delhi.
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".
A team of the NIA was allegedly attacked by a mob on Saturday 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.
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