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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's questioning by the Enforcement Directorate lasted for eight hours on Wednesday, 15 June – the third consecutive day of questioning in connection with the National Herald money laundering case.
However, the ED has asked the Wayanad MP to appear before it again on Friday and rejoin the investigation.
Gandhi was questioned for over three hours in the pre-lunch session on Wednesday after he arrived at the ED office in New Delhi around 11:35 am.
He reportedly left the office around 3 pm for a lunch break and returned at 4 pm.
Meanwhile, a video shared by the Congress showed police personnel forcibly entering the party headquarters, as party workers and leaders continue to protest the ED probe against Gandhi.
"The Delhi Police today forcibly entered the national headquarters of the Indian National Congress at Delhi, beat up workers and leaders. This is patently criminal trespass. The goondaism of Modi government and Delhi Police has reached its zenith," said party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.
"We demand that an FIR be registered against all police officers of Delhi Police who have made the criminal trespass. We also demand their suspension and the initiation of a disciplinary inquiry against them. Today, all Congress leaders will hold press conferences in the evening. Tomorrow, Congress had decided to gherao all Raj Bhavans across India to protest," Surjewala said.
Rahul Gandhi was questioned by the central agency for over 11 hours on Tuesday and nearly 10 hours on Monday. He left the ED office in Delhi a little before midnight on Tuesday.
Stopped From Entering AICC Office 'Without Any Reason': Sachin Pilot
Party leader Sachin Pilot was also detained by the police amid the chaotic protests on Wednesday. He was stopped from entering the All India Congress Committee (AICC) office.
The interrogation is connected to the upcoming presidential elections and other state polls, the leader told NDTV after the incident.
"We are in Narela police station. We wanted to enter our party office but were not allowed without any reason," he continued.
Pilot emphasised that the brutality executed by the police was unacceptable.
"Our protests will carry on, whatever it takes and however long it takes," he asserted.
INC India took to Twitter to say, "The dictatorial government of the BJP and the cruel ruler of that government should listen – a befitting reply will be given to this cruelty, every atrocity will be accounted for."
On the other hand, the police has maintained that no personnel entered the AICC office. "Untrue. False news. No such incident took place," DCP New Delhi said.
Meanwhile, Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has sought Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's intervention claiming "inhuman treatment and humiliation meted out to party leader Rahul Gandhi by ED."
He said in a letter:
"With heavy heart I along with my colleagues have been expressing grievances to you that our esteemed colleague Shri Rahul Gandhi ji, has been undergoing inexplicable tormentation for consecutive three days by Enforcement Directorate of India in Delhi, he has been grilled on an average 10 to 11 hours per day on the pretext of examination on some wild allegations. This kind of inhuman treatment with a Member of parliament smacks of heinous conspiracy to settle political score."
'Police Didn't Go Inside AICC Office, Use Force': Official
"Many people threw barricades at police near AICC office, so there might've been a scrimmage. But police didn't go inside the AICC office and use lathi charge. Police are not using any force," Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Sagar Preet Hooda was quoted as saying.
The entry of Congress's senior functionaries, chief ministers, former CMs, former cabinet ministers and MPs is always facilitated, he said.
"We had communicated to Congress in writing last night that no gathering should be conducted around ED office & on Akbar Road with Sec 144 imposed. When some workers didn't agree to our appeal today also, we detained them. In 2.5 days, around 800 people detained," Special CP Hooda stated.
INC Leaders Disregarded Supreme Court Guidelines: PRO
In a press note released by the Delhi Police through its public relations officer (PRO), it said, "For the past three days senior leaders of INC have been repeatedly informed that any kind of procession and protest is allowed only at designated areas as per the Hon'ble Supreme Court guidelines."
Delhi Police continually suggested the leaders of the party to protest near Jantar Mantar, but they had "utter disregard of Supreme Court guidelines" and created disturbance in the area, the press note alleged.
Another issue was, the note continued, that some INC workers attempted to take out a procession from the AICC office and were later detained by the police on Wednesday. They "were prevented by police personnel present there from assembling unauthorisedly."
The police tried to restrain the miscreants and prevent the chaos, it added.
"Some miscreants burnt tyres and damaged police barricades which led to traffic congestion and inconvenience to the commuters," the Delhi Police said in its press note.
In Photos: Congress Workers Detained, Dragged by Police
Some Congress workers and leaders were detained by the police outside the Congress office earlier in the day. Visuals showed the police dragging the party workers on the roads as they detain them. Congress workers also burnt tyres outside the ED office in Delhi during the protest.
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(Photo: PTI)
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(Photo: PTI)
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Security forces and barricading continue to be deployed near Akbar Road for the third day, with Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure imposed in the area to prevent gatherings.
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.
Late Night Hospital Visit to Sonia
Soon after Gandhi arrived at his residence late on Tuesday night, he visited his mother and interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who is ailing from COVID-19, at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi. Rahul was accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi.
On Monday, Rahul had visited Sonia Gandhi at the hospital during the brief interlude in ED proceedings at lunchtime.
Sonia Gandhi, who has also been summoned for interrogation in the same case, is scheduled to depose before the probe agency on 23 June.
'We Challenge PM Modi, Amit Shah...': Congress
"We give Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah a challenge. Don't hide behind your friends in the media. They are feeding information to TV channels via WhatsApp. Why don't you put all these television cameras in the room where Rahul Gandhi is sitting in the ED office? The ED has no questions for Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said at a press conference on Wednesday morning.
Chhattisgarh ChM Bhupesh Baghel, who was also at the press conference, alleged that the Delhi Police was stopping Congress workers and leaders from reaching their office.
Top Congress Leaders Detained
As the Congress protested the ED's summons to Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, several senior Congress leaders were detained by the Delhi Police for a second day, from outside the party headquarters.
These included Bhupesh Baghel, Venugopal, spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, and Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary.
A total of 217 Congress workers were detained, including eight Lok Sabha and seven Rajya Sabha members, the Delhi Police said in a statement.
On Monday, as many as 459 Congress workers and leaders had been detained by the police.
The Congress on Monday had alleged that the Delhi Police had 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.
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 Bharatiya Janata Party 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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