Haryana Cong claims house arrests ahead of Delhi protest, vows to defy curbs

• Haryana Congress alleges district presidents and workers face house arrest or detention ahead of the Delhi protest.

• Party vows to send workers from all districts to join the INDIA bloc’s 10 October demonstration.

• State leaders accuse the government of suppressing peaceful dissent and demand an explanation from the police.

The Haryana Congress on Friday, 9 October alleged that several of its leaders, including district presidents, had been placed under house arrest, while others had been detained to prevent them from joining Saturday’s opposition protest in Delhi demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Despite the alleged restrictions, the party said workers from all districts of Haryana would travel to the national capital on 10 October to join the INDIA bloc’s demonstration under the ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ campaign.

Senior Congress leader and Haryana affairs in-charge Sanjay Dutt condemned the alleged police action, calling reports of high-handedness against protesting leaders and workers a matter of concern. He also questioned the police’s treatment of senior leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi and K.C. Venugopal.

Haryana Congress president Rao Narender Singh said peaceful protest was a democratic right and demanded an explanation for the alleged house arrests and detentions. He said he had spoken to the state’s director general of police to object to the action against party workers.

“Peaceful protest is a democratic right of every citizen. When the Congress is saying that it wants to register its protest peacefully, why are its leaders and workers being stopped and detained? The government must clarify why such action is necessary against people exercising their democratic rights,” he said.

Singh said the party had received reports that district presidents and several leaders and workers had been placed under house arrest, while some had been taken into custody. He described the situation as a matter of serious concern, arguing that the Opposition must have the opportunity to voice its views and protest against government policies.

He also said he had spoken to the Haryana director general of police (DGP) and objected to the action against Congress leaders and workers. If the party intended to protest peacefully, he asked, the authorities should explain the rationale for preventing its members from participating.

The state unit has coordinated with district and block presidents and office-bearers of its frontal organisations to mobilise workers for the Delhi demonstration.

Dutt said he had consulted district and block presidents and office-bearers of the party’s frontal organisations on the campaign’s next steps. Singh reiterated that Congress workers from across Haryana would reach Delhi on Saturday to support the INDIA bloc protest.

The opposition has been demonstrating in Delhi for three days, demanding Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The INDIA bloc has also drawn up a joint action plan that includes rallies and ‘Save Democracy’ marches.

With PTI inputs