Over 200 Congress leaders, including MPs, detained by Delhi police during mass protest

New Delhi: More than 200 Congress protesters, including 50 Members of Parliament, were detained by the Delhi police on Friday (August 5), PTI reported. Rahul Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury were among the detained Congress MPs. Several other top grand old party leaders including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Shashi Tharoor were also detained by the Delhi police while marching to Rashtrapati Bhavan. 

Congress leaders and workers participated in a massive protest across India against the price rise, unemployment and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike on essential items. Visuals of several Congress leaders dressed in black being detained at Police Lines Kingsway Camp in Delhi have emerged. 

Delhi | Congress MPs including Rahul Gandhi along with the party's General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra detained at New Police Lines Kingsway Camp PS https://t.co/0IqrdLIFMh pic.twitter.com/TDHtDOSwbh — ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2022

The Punjab and Haryana units of the Congress staged protests in Chandigarh where water cannon was used by police personnel to disperse the party workers. The demonstration of Punjab was led by state Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa. In Haryana, the protest was held under the leadership of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and state Congress president Udai Bhan.

#WATCH | Chandigarh: Water cannon being used by police personnel to disperse the Congress leaders & workers who have been protesting against the Central govt over the issues of inflation & unemployment pic.twitter.com/j8jEmQotKo

— ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2022

Earlier today, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had launched a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi-led government. Alleging there is “no democracy” in India today, Gandhi said there is a “dictatorship of four people”. 

"What we are witnessing is the death of democracy. That is what India is witnessing. What India has built brick by brick, starting almost a century ago, is basically being destroyed in front of your eyes," Gandhi said at a press conference at the AICC headquarters in Delhi. 

"All of you know it, all of India knows it. Anybody who stands against this idea of the onset of dictatorship, does not matter who he is, where he comes from, which state, which religion, male or female, that person is viciously attacked, put in jail, arrested, beaten up," he added. 

(With agency inputs)