JD(U) MP says he was briefly detained during protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar

JDU MP Anil Hegde on Thursday appealed to the UN rapporteur on torture to raise with the government of Turkiye the issue of release of Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan, accused of separatism and militancy by that country, as he participated in a programme here to mark 25 years of his arrest.Hegde said in a statement that he was briefly detained by the Delhi Police for violating prohibitory orders as he was going to attend the programme at Jantar Mantar.

JD(U) MP Anil Hegde on Thursday appealed to the UN rapporteur on torture to raise with the government of Turkiye the issue of release of Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan, accused of separatism and militancy by that country, as he participated in a programme here to mark 25 years of his arrest.

Hegde said in a statement that he was briefly detained by the Delhi Police for violating prohibitory orders as he was going to attend the programme at Jantar Mantar. Police are on a high alert due to farmers' protest.

The Rajya Sabha MP said he had referred to the issue during his speech in Parliament during the Winter session. Ocalan enjoys considerable following among a section of Kurds but has been called a dangerous separatist by Turkiye.