BackDelhi Police manhandles Congress MP during protest
Congress MP KC Venugopal was dragged by Delhi Police during the party's protest march against ED.
PremiumOn June 13, Congress MP KC Venugopal was dragged by Delhi Police during the party's protest march against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioning Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case during the day.
Venugopal, a Rajya Sabha MP, was detained by the Delhi Police during the solidarity march, along with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and MPs Jairam Ramesh and Deepender Hooda.
On Twitter, Srinivas BV, the president of the Youth Congress, and the UP West Youth Congress published a video of Venugopal being beaten by cops.
Congress leaders and workers took to the streets on June 13 in Delhi and various state capitals as Rahul Gandhi appeared before the ED here for questioning in the National Herald case, with the opposition party accusing the Modi government of "trampling on democracy''.
Hundreds were detained for violating prohibitory orders in the national capital, where several top leaders had converged, and other cities as they tried to march to ED offices despite heavy barricading by the police and protested against the agency's summons to the former Congress chief.
The opposition party alleged that some of its leaders were manhandled by the police and hit out at the government for "not allowing"' peaceful protests.
Prominent among those detained in the national capital were Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Randeep Surjewala, K C Venugopal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Digvijaya Singh, Mukul Wasnik, Jairam Ramesh and many others.
Top Congress leaders accused the BJP government of misusing probe agencies to target opposition leaders and said the country is watching everything.
The party claimed it was starting Mahatma Gandhi's 'Satyagraha', peaceful resistance, again with the march against the Modi government and vowed not to bow down.
The BJP hit back at the opposition party, alleging that the show of strength by the Congress is aimed at putting pressure on the ED and its leaders were celebrating corruption.
Targeting the Centre over the recent incidents of violence, Gehlot alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "too arrogant" and did not care about the people of the country and had successfully been able to divide people into religious lines.
"Instead of appealing to the country for maintaining peace and shunning any kind of violence, the PM and Home Minister Amit Shah are using ED, CBI and other agencies against the opposition," he charged.
Baghel said the opposition cannot be targeted like this in a democracy.
"All leaders from Kerala to Kashmir are being targeted...Democracy is being throttled and we oppose it strongly," he alleged.
Gehlot said the case is in court and their objection is to bring in the ED "wrongly" in the matter.
"Till when will you trouble people. The matter is serious and I would appeal to the youth that democracy is in danger... The entire country is watching and in the coming times, we will not budge or bow down and the BJP will have to suffer due to this," he said.
The Rajasthan chief minister said he had also made a request to directors of ED, CBI and CBDT Chairman to convey what the entire country thought about the three premier agencies, but they did not meet him after initially responding positively.
"Gandhian Satyagraha will start again today. A new revolution will begin against a coward Modi government," Surjewala said.
(With agency inputs)
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