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Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders who were earlier detained for protesting outside the Election Commission of India (ECI) sat inside the premises of Mandir Marg Police Station pressing their demands to change the chiefs of the CBI, NIA, ED and Income Tax Department.
As per Delhi police, the 10-member delegation of Trinamool Congress leaders were detained on Monday following a protest outside the Election Commission of India over their demands in the national capital. The Opposition leaders were brought to Mandir Marg Police Station partway through their agitation and later asked to leave at night but the delegation did not leave and instead sat inside the premises all through the night. Those who staged the protest included five TMC MPs Derek O'Brien, Mohammad Nadimul Haq, Dola Sen, Saket Gokhale and Sagarika Ghosh. At the same time, three former MPs Arpita Ghosh, Shantanu Sen and Abir Ranjan Biswas were present. Apart from this, MLA Vivek Gupta and TMC youth leader Sudeep Raha were also protesting. A 10-member delegation went to the Election Commission's office on Monday and submitted a memorandum highlighting that "BJP and NIA have been working hand-in-glove to selectively target and harass our party workers". TMC urged the poll body to change the chiefs of Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation, Income Tax Department and National Investigation Agency. After being detained, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien said that they are ready to fight the "BJP's dictatorship". TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also said that NIA Director and other officials should be removed by the poll body. TMC MP Dola Sen also said, "We have appealed to the Election Commission to change the chiefs of NIA, CBI, ED and Income Tax and we are sitting on a 24-hour peaceful protest with this demand. Earlier, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, approached the Governor and top state officials on Monday to request the extension of central forces' deployment beyond the Model Code of Conduct period. Citing the need to ensure the safety of citizens and uphold democratic values, he urged officials to extend the deployment by three months to ensure public safety and protect constitutional integrity. (ANI)
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