MUMBAI: Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam was allegedly placed under house arrest on Saturday to prevent him from protesting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was visiting the city.
Mumbai police officials, however, denied placing Mr. Nirupam under house arrest.
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief and Lok Sabha MP Ashok Chavan called the house arrest an act against the basic principles of democracy.
Mr. Nirupam had announced on Friday that the Congress would carry out a silent protest at Bandra Kurla Complex, where the PM was to address a public gathering.
“[On Saturday] I was told by the police not to come out of my house while the PM was in Mumbai, which I said would not follow. Why should I be deprived of my right to protest?” Mr. Nirupam said.
The Congress leader later protested on the streets near his residence at Lokhandwala circle in Andheri, where he was arrested along with other party activists.
Refuting his allegations, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deven Bharti said, “Mr. Nirupam had sought permission to demonstrate at BKC, and we did not grant it simply because the Bombay High Court has directed that no demonstrations be held anywhere other than Azad Maidan, and definitely not in the path of the Prime Minister’s visit. We later posted some personnel at his residence to ensure his safety.”
