Kerala, 10 October (H.S.): CPI-M secretariat lmember and former minister Mohammed Riyas MLA on Saturday condemned the detention of Left leaders who arrived in Delhi to support a CJP protest, alleging that the country was witnessing an “undeclared Emergency”.

Speaking to reporters in Kozhikode, Riyas said attempts to intimidate leaders such as M.A. Baby and Pinarayi Vijayan through police action would fail because they had endured the repression of the Emergency.

“Baby and Pinarayi have walked through the furnace of the Emergency. They cannot be frightened by a show of batons and weapons,” he said, using a Malayalam expression referring to the grass at Kozhikode’s Mananchira ground to dismiss such threats.

Riyas said the demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar reflected the concerns of people committed to democracy. He warned that the agitation could spread across the country, with “every nook and corner of India turning into Jantar Mantar”.

Meanwhile, detained Left leaders said they were being moved between locations in Delhi without clear information about where they would ultimately be held.

According to information shared by the leaders, uncertainty over their place of detention continued even three hours after they were taken into custody. They said police drove them around the city before taking them to a preventive detention centre at Chhatrasal Stadium.

The leaders subsequently said they were being transported to another location, but police had not disclosed their destination. Their account raised concerns about the prolonged movement of those in custody and the lack of information available to them.

Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas alleged that police were ignoring concerns about Vijayan’s health despite being informed of his medical problems.

Riyas’s remarks came amid uncertainty over the detained leaders’ whereabouts. He reiterated that police action would not deter those supporting the protest and demanding Kumar’s removal as Chief Election Commissioner.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman