Mamata Banerjee and opposition leaders detained in Delhi during election chief protest

Delhi Police have detained former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and Kerala Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan during opposition protests in the capital on Saturday.

The demonstrations were directed against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Police picked up Banerjee and several Trinamool Congress figures, including Rajya Sabha members Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen, from South Avenue in central Delhi.

Kejriwal was detained separately as police moved in to clear opposition gathering points across the city. Multiple senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders were also taken into custody while attempting to march towards the protest site.

Opposition targets electoral roll revision

The joint protest brought together major opposition parties objecting to the handling of the Special Intensive Revision process, demanding the resignation or removal of the Chief Election Commissioner. Opposition groups claim the exercise threatens voters' rights ahead of upcoming elections.

Trinamool Congress condemned the police action on social media, framing the detentions as an attempt to suppress democratic dissent. "Since when did arresting peaceful protesters become the norm in our democracy?" the party said in a statement posted on X, describing the day as a dark moment for democratic values.

Leaders respond to police action

In a statement published on Facebook following his detention, Vijayan accused the central government of converting Delhi into an "open prison" through heavy deployments of police and paramilitary personnel. He said the protest aimed to protect constitutional rights and fundamental voting powers against government overreach.

Footage broadcast from inside a police transport vehicle showed CPM leader P Rajeev describing the vehicle as "jail-like" and confirming that central party officials had been driven around for over an hour after being picked up by officers.

The CPM's Kerala unit called for widespread demonstrations against the detentions, while party officials pledged to escalate their campaign against the Election Commission's voter roll revision. Delhi Police have not yet formally stated where the detained leaders are being held or whether charges will be filed.