Devendra Fadnavis, other BJP leaders detained during protest seeking Nawab Malik's resignation

BJP leaders tried to take out a protest march from Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, demanding that Nawab Malik, a senior NCP leader arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, resign or be sacked.

Pic Courtesy: ANI

Mumbai: Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and other BJP leaders were detained by police here on Wednesday as they tried to take out a protest march to press for state minister Nawab Malik's resignation.

They were released later, said a police official. BJP leaders tried to take out a protest march from Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, demanding that Malik, a senior NCP leader arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, resign or be sacked. Fadnavis, state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil, Ashish Shelar, Mangal Prabhat Lodha and others were detained near Metro Cinema and taken to the Yellow Gate police station, said the official.

They were released later after the completion of legal formalities, he added. The protest also led to traffic snarls in the area. Extra police force had been deployed in the area in view of the protest, the official said.

Mumbai police detain BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and other leaders of the party as they were carrying out a protest march demanding the resignation of state minister Nawab Malik #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/EfEM3AytO7 — ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2022

No FIR has been registered with respect to the protest, the police official added. Malik, who is minority development minister, was arrested on February 23 by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides. The NCP leader is now in judicial custody.