Protests erupted in Delhi on Wednesday as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the National Herald case for the third-consecutive day. Stand-offs were witnessed outside and between the Congress' headquarters and the ED's office in central Delhi, with police and security personnel struggling to keep protesters in check.  Police detained 240 Congress workers and leaders including five MPs and 33 women party workers.

The Congress leaders on Wednesday alleged that the Delhi Police forcibly entered the AICC headquarters in the national Capital and thrashed the party workers while the Delhi Police rubbished the Congress’ claims that their personnel barged into the party's headquarters and baton-charged their leaders.  The party also shared video clips on social media showing police personnel entering its office premises. Congress leader Ajay Maken shared a video as visual proof of police personnel entering the AICC headquarters at 24, Akbar Road.

 “Delhi Police entered the headquarters of the Congress, the country's principal Opposition party, and assaulted our workers. Is democracy alive?” Maken wrote on Twitter in Hindi. “Watch the full clip,” he added.

Addressing a press conference, party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said Delhi Police’s action was "criminal trespass" which will not be tolerated and will be accounted for.

A video of police allegedly manhandling Congress workers was also doing the rounds on social media.  The Congress has demanded that an FIR for "criminal trespass" be registered, the erring police personnel be suspended and disciplinary action initiated against them. On the other hand, Delhi Police denied the allegations of lathi-charge and termed them “untrue”. “The workers came outside and threw barricades at policemen. So, there might have been some tussle.

The allegations of policemen forcibly entering the office and lathi-charging are absolutely false. Police are not using any force.

There would be no issues if the organisation comes and talks to us and gives a proper list. If there’s an unorganised gathering, we are taking action and talking to workers. If they don’t listen to us, we have to detain them,” said Special CP (Law and Order) Sagarpreet Hooda Special CP Hooda said, "We had tried to stop them and tried to close gate of AICC HQs in order to prevent a procession from being taken out... In this process, there might be some scrimmage, but police had not tried to enter the premises of the AICC and they had no reason to enter."

According to Suman Nalwa, spokesperson, Delhi Police, for the past three days, senior leaders of the Congress have been repeatedly informed that any kind of procession and protest is allowed only at designated areas as per the Supreme Court guidelines.

“Despite the suggestions of Delhi Police to have the protest at Jantar Mantar, the Congress leaders with utter disregard of the Supreme Court guidelines and our suggestions have again and again tried to create public disturbances in the area,” said the spokesperson.

“On Wednesday, again some Congress workers had tried to take out a procession from the party office and were prevented by police personnel present there from assembling unauthorisedly.

Some of the miscreants burnt tyres and damaged police barricades which led to traffic congestion and inconvenience to the commuters. Police tried to prevent the situation from deteriorating while maintaining utmost restraint,” said the spokesperson.

Several videos went viral on social media in which the Congress workers can be heard chanting and shouting in the background with some yelling “Rahul Gandhi zindabad, zindabad” as one person walks past the camera with a party flag.

The same video also showed women police personnel dragging away a woman in a blue kurta; four cops grab a limb each as the woman is carried away.