What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
NEW DELHI: A day after the police personnel forcibly entered the Congress headquarters and thrashed several party leaders and workers, the party on Thursday met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla accusing the central government of “vendetta and violent politics”.
Congress also described the police action as a pre-planned action against the party workers and leaders.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury along with party MPs met Birla and apprised him of the police brutality against party leaders and workers at the grand-old party headquarters on Wednesday. The incident happened during their protest over the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe against the party leader Rahul Gandhi.
Speaking to the media after meeting the LS speaker, the Congress MP from West Bengal said, “We informed the speaker in detail, about the manner in which we have been subjected to atrocities and violence.”
“Speaker listened to us attentively. We spoke about Delhi Police officers who barged into the AICC headquarters and attacked our MPs and workers in a pre-planned manner,” Chowdhury said.
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He further said that even at the police stations, the police treated Congress MPs and workers as terrorists. He said that party leader Rahul Gandhi was called for three consecutive days for 10-12 hours long questioning. “We do not object to questioning. We just want to say that do not use vendetta and violent politics,” the Congress leader added.
Even a party’s delegation met Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, who is also the Rajya Sabha chairman and said that they have given a written complaint about the manner in which the police acted in the last three days.
Speaking to media outside the Vice President’s residence, former Union minister P Chidambaram, who himself suffered a hairline fracture in his ribs on Monday during the party’s Satyagrah March to ED headquarters said, “They (police) have assaulted MPs of both Houses, taken them away to distances as far as the border of Haryana. They detained party MPs without a written order for eight to twelve hours, and denied them food and water.”
Chidambaram further said that when the Congress MPs asked if they had been arrested, the police did not give any answer. “It is a clear violation of liberty. Every fundamental right has been violated,” Chidambaram added.
ALSO READ: Delhi Police Enter Congress HQ; Party To Protest Outside Raj Bhawans
Even Congress Rajya Sabha MP Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the police and said that all detained party leaders were kept illegally.
He said, “No cases were registered. Our leaders had to go to hospitals. Due to injuries some leaders have fractured ribs. Therefore, we came to the Vice President to appeal as it is his duty to protect us.”
On Wednesday, the Congress tweeted a video of Delhi Police personnel entering the party headquarters located at Akbar Road in central Delhi and thrashing several party leaders and workers.
Congress has planned nationwide protests outside the Raj Bhawan in every state against the police actions.
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The incident happened when the party leaders were protesting at party headquarters and were not allowed to go to the ED headquarters where the former Congress chief has been questioned for the last three days in the National Herald case.
