Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, Pinarayi Vijayan Detained at Protest Near Delhi’s Jantar Mantar

Four former chief ministers from Opposition parties were detained in Delhi on Saturday as police moved to prevent demonstrators from joining a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar were among those detained while attempting to participate in the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) demonstration near Jantar Mantar.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee was detained along with several party MPs from South Avenue in central Delhi after police stopped her from proceeding towards the protest venue. She subsequently staged a sit-in at a nearby bus stand.

Banerjee and five TMC MPs, including Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen, were taken away in a police bus. The former West Bengal chief minister was seen wearing a bandage over her mouth during the protest, with the AITC sharing a photograph of the demonstration.

Speaking from inside the police bus, Banerjee accused the government of mistreating the Opposition.

“The government is misbehaving with us,” she said, adding, “We the INDIA alliance will continue to fight to strengthen people’s voice.”

Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was also detained after attempting to leave his residence and join the protest. Delhi Police personnel had reportedly surrounded his residence since the morning.

In a video message following his detention, Kejriwal said the police action would not deter young people from speaking out against alleged electoral malpractice.

“The youth of India will not be scared. We will fight against vote chori. Everyone should come out and protest,” he said.

Former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI(M) MP John Brittas were among those detained and taken to the detention centre at Chhatrasal Stadium. Former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar was also detained during the crackdown.

Banerjee had reached Delhi on Friday to participate in the Opposition’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. She was part of an INDIA bloc delegation that met President Droupadi Murmu on Friday evening, seeking Kumar’s removal.

During the meeting, Opposition leaders raised allegations of “vote chori” and demanded Kumar’s resignation, as well as the annulment of Assembly elections held over the preceding two years. Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, subsequently said he was “shocked” that the President had not denied the allegations of election theft.

However, sources later disputed claims that President Murmu had accepted Gandhi’s allegations of “vote theft”, describing that interpretation of the meeting as incorrect.

After meeting the President, Gandhi announced that Opposition leaders would approach the Supreme Court on Monday to meet Chief Justice Surya Kant and submit a memorandum. He said the Opposition intended to pursue all available avenues.

The INDIA bloc has also announced a major protest for Monday over alleged irregularities by the Election Commission.

Earlier on Saturday, CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were detained aboard an aircraft after it landed at Delhi airport. They had travelled to the Capital to participate in the planned protest.