Several senior Opposition leaders, including former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, were detained by Delhi Police on Saturday as they attempted to join a protest near Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Police also detained several MPs, student leaders and political activists during the large-scale security operation across the national capital. The protest was organised amid allegations raised by Opposition parties regarding the functioning of the Election Commission.

Mamata Banerjee was stopped by police in central Delhi along with several Trinamool Congress MPs, including Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen. After being prevented from moving forward, she staged a sit-in protest before being taken away in a police bus. In a video message, Banerjee accused the government of suppressing democratic voices and said the INDIA alliance would continue its campaign against what it described as electoral irregularities. Arvind Kejriwal, whose residence had been surrounded by police since morning, was also detained while attempting to leave his home to participate in the protest. In his message after detention, he appealed to people across the country to continue protesting against the alleged “vote theft.”

The protest followed a meeting between leaders of the INDIA alliance and President Droupadi Murmu, where the Opposition demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and raised allegations concerning recent elections. The Opposition has also announced plans to submit a memorandum to the Chief Justice of India and continue demonstrations in the coming days. Meanwhile, Delhi Police maintained heightened security across the capital, detaining multiple political leaders and activists to prevent the protest from reaching Jantar Mantar, as the political confrontation over the Election Commission issue continues to intensify.