Former West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) founder Mamata Banerjee, along with Trinamool MPs Derek O'Brien, Pratima Mandal and Dola Sen, was detained by Delhi Police in the national capital. The development comes amid heightened political tensions between the Opposition and the Election Commission of India over alleged irregularities in electoral processes.
Banerjee and the Trinamool leaders staged a dharna at a bus stand on South Avenue in Delhi before being detained by police. The incident comes as opposition parties step up their campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, demanding accountability over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Why are Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool leaders protesting?
Trinamool's protest comes amid a wider Opposition campaign against the Election Commission's voter-list revision exercise. Opposition parties have alleged that the SIR process could lead to eligible voters being removed from electoral rolls and have questioned the manner in which the exercise is being conducted.
The INDIA bloc has also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Opposition leaders have argued that concerns over electoral rolls need to be addressed by the poll panel and have sought a meeting with the Election Commission to raise their objections.
The protest movement has gathered momentum in Delhi over the past week. On October 6, INDIA bloc MPs attempted to march from Parliament towards the Election Commission's headquarters. Delhi Police stopped the march, and several opposition leaders, including Trinamool MP Derek O'Brien, were among those detained during the demonstration.
Opposition protests intensify over SIR
The October 6 demonstration escalated after police prevented the leaders from proceeding towards the poll panel's office. The MPs staged a dharna after being stopped, while police cited restrictions on gatherings and the absence of permission for the march.
According to reports, around 260 people, including 10 MPs, were detained during that protest. The confrontation continued later at Akashvani Bhawan, where Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other opposition leaders staged a sit-in while demanding a meeting with the Election Commission.
The BJP has rejected the Opposition's allegations against the poll panel, describing the campaign as politically motivated. The Election Commission's SIR exercise remains at the centre of the dispute, with opposition parties continuing to demand answers over voter-list revisions and the functioning of the electoral system.
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