Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was questioned for 10 hours on Tuesday, 14 June, at the the office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the National Herald case.
Tuesday marked the second consecutive day that Gandhi was called for questioning to the ED's office.
Gandhi has been called to rejoin the investigation for the third consecutive day on Wednesday.
The Wayanad MP had visited the Congress headquarters along with his sister, Priyanka Gandhi, before appearing at the central agency's office.
Meanwhile, several leaders and workers of the Congress party, including Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary, party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, KC Venugopal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Srinivas BV, and Deepender Hooda were detained by the Delhi Police while protesting the ED probe against the former party president.
A number of senior leaders were taken to the Tughlak Road Police Station for detention. Later, they were moved to the Badarpur Police Station.
Chhattisgarh CM Baghel and leaders Mukul Wasnik and Manish Chatrath were also stopped outside Apollo Hospital on Tuesday while they were on the way to meet party leaders at Badarpur Police Station.
Section 144 has been imposed near Akbar Road in Central Delhi to prevent gatherings in the area, where there is also heavy deployment of security forces.
Cong Leaders Detained Till Late on Monday, Gehlot Says 'Questioning Till Midnight Is Wrong'
Congress leaders P Chidambaram, Randeep Singh Surjewala, KC Venugopal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Deepender Hooda, and others were detained at various police stations in Delhi till late on Monday after they were apprehended earlier in the day for protesting the probe against Gandhi.
"Congress party will come on the streets tomorrow as well. Law is the same for everyone, but questioning someone till 12 midnight is wrong. Which crime or money laundering has taken place? Where there is loot of trillions, they do not inquire," Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who was also detained on Monday, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Traffic Police has issued an advisory for the areas around Motilal Nehru Marg, Akbar Road, Janpath, and Man Singh Road. "Due to special arrangements, traffic movement will not be possible on these roads," it said.
'ED Now Election Management Department': Congress
"The ED probe against Rahul Gandhi is an attempt to silence his voice as he has always questioned Modi government on issues like China capturing our territory, inflation, fuel price hike, unemployment, religious vendetta... He is being constantly attacked," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said at a press conference on Tuesday.
"The Modi government has furiously attacked the voice of integrity hidden behind the 'Election Management Department' – ED," he said.
"How were television channels running the questions being asked to Rahul Gandhi? How were channels aware of what was happening inside, in a legal proceeding?" he asked. He alleged that the central government was feeding the private details of the interrogation to the TV channels.
This comes after Gandhi was grilled by the central agency for nearly 10 hours on Monday. He left the ED office at about 11:20 pm.
Further, Congress leader Chidambaram asked if an FIR had been filed in the National Herald case.
"We're protesting against misuse of law, if ED follows the law, we've no problem. But ED is not following the law... We're asking what's the scheduled offence? There's no answer. Which police agency has registered an FIR? No answer; no copy of FIR," he said as per ANI.
After being detained, KC Venugopal reiterated in a video: "The Modi government is misusing the Enforcement Directorate for its political vendetta. There's no case in it. It is a totally fabricated case."
Chidambaram Alleges Fracture After Manhandled by Police; Over 400 Congress Leaders Detained in Delhi on Monday
The Congress on Monday alleged that the Delhi Police made a “murderous attack” on its leader KC Venugopal and others during their protest march taken out in solidarity with Rahul Gandhi, with P Chidambaram and Pramod Tiwari sustaining hairline fractures in their ribs.
"When three big, burly policemen crash into you, you are lucky to get away with a suspected hairline crack! Doctors have said that if there is a hairline crack, it will heal by itself in about 10 days I am fine and I will go about my work tomorrow," Chidambaram later tweeted.
Videos circulating on social media showed Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal being manhandled and dragged by the police as they detain him.
As many as 459 Congress workers and leaders, including 26 MPs and 5 MLAs, protesting during Rahul Gandhi's appearance before the ED, were detained on Monday, as per the Delhi Police
The police, however, have denied the Congress' claims.
"Some complaints received at Police Station Tughlaq Road regarding injuries to Congress leaders/workers during Police action but no such incident of use of force by police took place as per our knowledge, no MLC case reported so far," Special CP (L & O), Zone-II Sagar Preet Hooda was quoted as saying by ANI.
In Questioning Interlude on Monday, Rahul Gandhi Had Met Sonia
Rahul Gandhi, who had arrived at the ED office at around 11 am on Monday, had left around lunchtime at 2:35 pm, to visit Sonia Gandhi at Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, a day after the Congress president was admitted in light of COVID-related complications.
He had reappeared for a second round of questioning around 3:45 pm. Congress leader and his sister Priyanka Gandhi had accompanied Rahul Gandhi.
Sonia Gandhi, who was asked to appear before the central agency on 8 June in connection with a money laundering case, has now been summoned on 23 June. She had sought a fresh date from ED after she contracted COVID-19.
What Is the National Herald Case?
The ED had registered the case to probe alleged financial irregularities in the party-promoted group Young Indian, which owns the National Herald newspaper.
The ED had filed a fresh case into the matter under the PMLA's criminal provisions after a court took notice of a probe conducted by the Income Tax Department against Young India Pvt Ltd after BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2012 filed a criminal complaint in connection with the matter.
Swamy had alleged that some Congress leaders were involved in cheating and breach of trust in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd by Young Indian Ltd (YIL).
He had alleged that YIL had 'taken over' the assets of the National Herald, which was founded by Jawaharlal Nehru, in a 'malicious' way.
Swamy had alleged that Sonia and Rahul Gandhi had conspired to misappropriate funds, as Young Indian had paid only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover around Rs 90 crore which was owed to the Congress by Associate Journals Ltd.
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