Mumbai police detains Congress leaders, workers protesting over Hindenburg-Adani row
Mar 01, 2023
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 1 : Mumbai Police on Wednesday detained the state Congress president Ashok Jagtap, senior leader Charan Singh Sapra and a few party supporters for protesting over the Hindenburg-Adani row here in Mumbai.
The protesters had gathered outside the office of the National Stock Exchange in Mumbai after a report by US-based firm Hindenburg had earlier accused industrialist Gautam Adani of brazen stock manipulation and alleged financial irregularities.
Congress leader Charan Singh Sapra speaking inside a police van after being detained alleged that Prime Minister Modi had "close links with Gautam Adani".
Protestors who were raising "anti-Modi slogans" accused the PM of having "links" with industrialist Adani.
Opposition Congress had attempted several times to raise the issue inside the parliament and has been demanding a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe the allegations of the report.
The party had announced a nation-wide-stir against the Adani issue last month and attempted to bring other opposition parties on board to corner the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government over the issue.
On February 1, Adani Enterprises decided not to go ahead with its fully subscribed Follow-on Public Offer (FPO), with the Group chairman Gautam Adani stating on February 2 that it would not be "morally correct" to go ahead with the Rs 20,000-crore share in the current market condition.
A report by the New York-based short seller on January 24, accused Adani Group of brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud among others. The US-based firm, in its report, raised concerns about shares of Adani group companies having a possibility of declining from their current levels, owing to high valuations.
In response, Adani Group said Hindenburg's report was not an attack on any specific company but a "calculated attack" on India, its growth story, and ambitions. It added the report was "nothing but a lie".
The shares of Adani Group companies have been consistently declining, though with varying degrees, after the January 24 report by a US-based short seller which levelled various allegations against the group.