NEW DELHI -- Congress party vice president Rahul Gandhi was detained at Mandir Marg police station after he was stopped at Ram Manohar Lohia earlier Wednesday afternoon. He had tried to meet the relatives of Ram Kishan Grewal, the ex-serviceman who committed suicide on Tuesday at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi over the delay in implementation of the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme.
He was detained for "disruption of duty", said Delhi's anti corruption branch chief MK Meena. However, he was released soon afterwards.
"It is a hospital and not a place for demonstration," said Meena, adding that police had also detained Grewal's family members who had contacted politicians and held a demonstration at RML.
Democracy doesn't mean creating obstruction. Leaders must also understand that hosp is not the place to hold any demonstrations: MK Meena pic.twitter.com/yLKvutCRG9
— ANI (@ANI_news) November 2, 2016
WATCH: Aapko Sharam Nahi Aati?' Rahul Gandhi Schools Cops Inside Police Station
Congress' Randeep Surjewala and Kiran Choudhary were also detained. "No politician is allowed in the hospital and they were causing disturbances," said Meena.
Congress workers protested outside the police station, calling the detention "undemocratic".
"The way the government is working since day one is anti-democratic," said Congress MP and veteran leader Ahmed Patel. "This is a well thought conspiracy to stop Rahul Gandhi wherever he goes."
Meanwhile senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said that Gandhi had gone to meet Grewal's family alone. "There was no violation of any law," he told ANI. "It is illegal detention."
Ex-serviceman suicide case: Inside visuals of the Mandir Marg Police station (Delhi), Congress VP Rahul Gandhi detained. pic.twitter.com/3SGahkRKFL
— ANI (@ANI_news) November 2, 2016
Meanwhile, deputy chief minister members of Delhi Manish Sisodia and other members of the Aam Aadmi Party who visited the hospital were also detained, following which Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal questioned the reason behind these detentions.
"अगर अपने राज्य में किसी की मौत पर उप मुख्यमंत्री परिवार को सांत्वना देने जाए तो क्या उसे गिरफ़्तार किया जाएगा?" - AK #InsecureModi pic.twitter.com/WV1QjkN6ZJ
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) November 2, 2016
"If anyone goes to visit someone to offer condolences for the death of their family member, will this government arrest them?" he asked. "We have a cabinet meeting today which we will have to cancel now. This is gundagardi (hooliganism)."