Scores of Congress workers were taken into custody after they attempted to march to the Income Tax department office in Vijayawada Friday as part of a nation-wide protest against the move to divest CBI Director Alok Verma of his powers and send him on leave.
The state unit of the Congress had planned to take out a protest march to the IT department office there as there was no CBI office in the city.
However, a large posse of police personnel prevented the Congressmen from carrying out their plan.
Besides Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Raghuveera, police took AICC secretary Sheik Mastanvali and other leaders into custody and drove them away to Bhavanipuram police station.
Later talking to reporters, Raghuveera said the CBI Director Alok Verma was abruptly removed under the direct instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.
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Verma was removed only because he wasinvestigating the Rafale deal in which both Modi and Shah were involved, he alleged.
"This is like killing the Constitution," he added.
CBI Director Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana have been sent on leave amid an ongoing spat between them.
The prime minister-led appointments committee in an order Tuesday night had given charge of director to Joint Director M Nageshwara Rao with immediate effect.
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