Police assaulted MPs, denied them food and water: Congress cries foul over detention of party leaders

New Delhi: Right after a meeting of the All India Congress Committee was held in the national capital on Thursday, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge lashed out at the Centre over the ruckus created outside the party headquarters allegedly by the Delhi Police earlier on Wednesday.

Senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken are among those present in the meeting.

Addressing the reporters today on the issue, Kharge said, "All detained Congress leaders were kept illegally. No cases were registered. Our leaders had to go to hospitals, some have broken ribs. We came to Vice President-Rajya Sabha Chairman to appeal on this matter. It's his duty to protect us."

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram highlighted that they met Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and have given a written complaint about the manner in which the police have acted for the last three days.

"We just met Rajya Sabha Chairman and have given a written complaint on the manner in which the police have acted for the last three days. They have assaulted MPs of both Houses, taken them away to distances as far as the border of Haryana," Chidambaram said.

"Police have detained MPs without a written order for 8-12 hours. They denied them food and water and when the MPs asked if they have been arrested, the police didn't give any answer... it's a clear violation of liberty... every fundamental right violated," Chidambaram said.

On Wednesday, several Congress leaders were detained as Rahul Gandhi clocked hours at the office of the Enforcement Directorate, the third day of his questioning in connection to the National Herald newspaper money laundering case. Congress leaders and workers clashed with police during a protest in central Delhi, despite prohibitory orders and no permission to stage a protest by the Delhi Police.

Over the past few days of Rahul being questioned, senior leaders have been detained and allegedly stopped from entering the AICC office. While police said protesters threw barricades at them during a standoff, they denied allegations of forcibly entering the Congress office and beating up functionaries.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been asked to rejoin the probe on Friday by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in connection with the National Herald case, said sources.

The Congress leader left the ED office after 9.00 PM on Wednesday.

The former Congress chief appeared before the ED for the third consecutive day on Wednesday for questioning.

Regarding his questioning by ED on Monday, as per official sources, the Congress leader, a Z+ category protectee of the Central Reserve Police Force after the Union government withdrew the Gandhi family's Special Protection Group cover in 2019, was confronted with several documents collated by the ED as evidence recovered so far in the case to get his version.

Rahul Gandhi was questioned in detail about the ownership of Young Indian Private Limited (YIL) by the Gandhi family and its shareholding pattern in Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the company that runs the National Herald newspaper, said sources. (ANI)