Trinamool takes battle over MPs’ arrest to Delhi

Leaders detained on way to stage protest outside PM’s home

Up in arms: Trinamool Congress MPs stage a protest on the Tughlak Road police station premises in New Delhi after they were detained on Wednesday.

Trinamool Congress MPs on Wednesday took their battle against the Centre over the arrest of their leader in the Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, in a corruption case to the national capital.

After a meeting in Parliament House, Trinamool MPs drove down in a cavalcade towards the Prime Minister’s residence on 7 Lok Kalyan Marg with the intention of holding a demonstration in front of it. But they were stopped midway and taken into custody.

“We were going peacefully towards the Prime Minister’s residence,” Trinamool leader Saugata Roy told reporters, “but the police detained us midway and manhandled a few of our MPs.”

Stressing that his party would continue to raise its voice against the “injustice done by the Modi government”, Mr. Roy said 36 MPs took part in the protest.

On Tuesday, Mr. Bandyopadhyay was arrested in Kolkata by the CBI in connection with the Rose Valley chit fund scam in West Bengal. He is the second Trinamool MP to be arrested in less than a week in this case. Last Friday actor-turned-politician Tapas Paul was arrested.

Meanwhile, protests by Trinamool in West Bengal against Mr. Bandyopadhyay’s arrest turned violent.