ED questions Sonia Gandhi: 56 MPs among 349 Cong members held for protesting in Delhi
Jul 21, 2022
New Delhi [India], July 21 : Delhi Police on Thursday said that it has detained 349 Congress functionaries including 56 MPs after the leaders protested in the capital over ED summons to the Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi.
"Total 349 functionaries or workers of the Congress party including 56 Hon'ble MPs were detained from different places under section 65 DP Act to maintain public order in the area and all of them have been released after following necessary legal formalities. Intimation regarding the detention of the Hon'ble MPs/MLAs is being sent to the respective competent authority," said Sagar Preet Hooda, Special Commissioner of Police, Delhi.
Sonia Gandhi was summoned by Enforcement Directorate for her personal appearance.
"Based on inputs from various sources, it was learnt that members of INC may hold protests in this regard to show solidarity with their party president. A letter addressed to the Organizer, All India Congress Committee (AICC) was sent to inform that large gatherings at around Akbar Road, New Delhi cannot be permitted as prohibitory orders under section 144 Cr.P.C. were in force in the area of New Delhi District. They were also informed that only AICC office functionaries or staff would be permitted into the Office, after due authentication by volunteers from the AICC," stated police.
Adequate law and order arrangement was put in place in New Delhi District to avert any untoward incident.
At about 11 am, a large number of AICC workers started gathering at various locations i.e. RML Hospital, Akbar Road, Maulana Azad Road, Man Singh Road, Tolstoy Marg, etc. for the protest. The protestors were appropriately warned about the prohibitory order in force in the area and were requested to disperse. However, the protestors did not pay heed to the requests of police and continued their unlawful assembly. Therefore, they were stopped and detained for violation of lawful directions.
Senior Congress leaders including P Chidambaram, Ajay Maken, Manickam Tagore, KC Venugopal, Adhir Ranjan Chaudhry, Shashi Tharoor, Sachin Pilot, Harish Rawat, Ashok Gehlot, K Suresh were among those detained.
Congress workers in Nagpur were also detained in the wake of the protest.
The protest by the Congress turned violent in Bengaluru as the Youth Congress workers allegedly set a car on fire, in front of ED office.
Congress workers also stopped a train and blocked railway tracks at New Delhi's Shivaji Bridge railway station.
Chandigarh Police also used water cannons to disperse Congress workers and leaders as they protested over the questioning.
Party leader Jairam Ramesh said party MPs and CWC Members have courted mass arrest outside the party's central office in a show of collective solidarity with Sonia Gandhi.
Congress leaders accused the government of misusing the probe agencies to target political opponents.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who is also in Delhi, slammed the probe and said that since Sonia Gandhi is over 70 years old, ED should have gone to her residence if they wanted to question her.
"It is happening for the first time in the country that they are stopping dharna, demonstration," he said.
Party leader Sachin Pilot alleged misuse of agencies in the country. "It's our right to protest in a democracy, but it is also being crushed," he said.
All MPs and leaders of Congress who were detained at New Police Line, Kingsway Camp were later released.
