Rahul Gandhi released from detention: Delhi Police
Darpan News Desk IANS, 26 Jul, 2022 12:19 PM
New Delhi, July 26 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was released by the Delhi Police almost over six hours after he was detained during his party's march from Parliament to Rashtrapati Bhawan, officials said Tuesday.
"They have been released," Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Amrutha Gugolth said while responding to a query about the Congress party leaders' detention.
The Congress MPs carried out a protest march from the Parliament House to Rashtrapati Bhawan in wake of questioning of Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate and no discussion on important issues like price rise in Parliament.
However, as the parliamentarians moved forward to give a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu, the Delhi Police stopped them midway near Vijay Chowk.
Subsequently, the Congress parliamentarians, including Rahul Gandhi, sat in protest in front of the Vijay Chowk. The protesting Congress leaders, holding placards, raised slogans against the probe agency ED and the Central government.
There was a heavy police deployment, including para military and Rapid Action force. Initially, the police began detaining other leaders, including women MPs, and at last Deepender Singh Hooda and Rahul Gandhi were left at the spot. The woman Congress MPs could be seen being dragged by the police personnel and bundled in a bus.
"What is the problem? We want to go there to meet the President and handover the memorandum. Why are we not allowed?," Rahul Gandhi could be heard while he was talking to a Delhi Police official.
After detaining every protesting leader from near the Vijay Chowk, Rahul Gandhi was then detained and taken from there in a bus along with other MPs to new police lines, Kingsway Police camp.
Apart from Vijay Chowk, hundreds of party workers were also detained from outside the Congress party headquarters at 24, Akbar Road.
A day earlier, Sonia Gandhi asked party chiefs Sidhu in Punjab, Ganesh Godiyal in Uttarakhand, Ajay Kumar Lallu in Uttar Pradesh, Girish Chodankar in Goa and Nameirakpam Loken Singh in Manipur to resign. Sidhu, once a Chief Minister aspirant, faced defeat from his stronghold Amritsar (East) seat.
Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, representing the family members, submitted before a bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana that on March 10, a protected witness in the case had been attacked and the state government did not file an appeal challenging the bail granted to Misra in the case.
The SAD also announced the expulsion of Kalka from the primary membership of the party, besides dissolving the party's Delhi unit. It also announced the formation of a five-member ad hoc committee headed by veteran leader Avtar Singh Hit, and comprising Harinder Singh Kaypee, Bhupinder Singh Anand, Gurdev Singh Bhola, and Ravinder Singh Khurana.
In December last year, the Supreme Court had said it expects a fair investigation and investigating agencies should be neutral, as it asked Delhi Police to conclude the probe, by December 15, in a case against Singh.
Amid a call for leadership change in the party, Congress General Secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has called a meeting of party leaders on Tuesday to find out the reasons for the defeat. The Congress could only get just over 2 per cent votes and two seats in the Uttar Pradesh polls.
The plea argued that the high court granted bail without considering the heinous nature of the crime and also in the backdrop of overwhelming evidence against the accused in the charge sheet. The plea further argued that there is likelihood of the accused tampering with the witnesses and causing obstruction in justice.
