Nagpur: North Nagpur MLA and former state minister Nitin Raut was detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday while heading to join a Congress protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s residence. The Congress staged a protest over the NEET examination paper leak and the police action on students during the Parliament March in New Delhi on Tuesday.Raut was stopped by police while proceeding towards the protest venue. According to party functionaries, he was taken into custody and transported in a police bus along with other Congress workers before being held at Jaffarpur Kalan Police Station on the outskirts of Delhi.The demonstration, led by Rahul Gandhi, saw participation by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal, Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar and several MPs and party leaders from across the country. Protesters raised slogans against the Centre, demanding accountability over the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination process.Following his detention, a video recorded from inside the police bus surfaced in which Raut criticised govt’s handling of the protest and reiterated his support for students. Raut alleged that democratic voices are being suppressed and asserted that the movement for justice for students would continue.Condemning the detention of Opposition leaders, Raut termed the police action an attack on democracy. He said that Opposition parties should not be prevented from holding peaceful protests in support of students’ concerns. Maharashtra Congress general secretary Kunal Raut was also detained during the protest.
