NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said the situation in Delhi has gone "beyond Emergency", as she was detained along with party leaders who were protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The former West Bengal chief minister said she would stay in the national capital and join the INDIA bloc's protest planned on Monday. TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who has returned to Kolkata, will also travel to Delhi for the protest.

Banerjee was detained along with TMC joint secretaries Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen, Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam, Lok Sabha MP Pratima Mondal and former MP Saket Gokhale as they staged a sit-in at a bus stop on South Avenue, nearly 5 kilometres away from Jantar Mantar, after allegedly being stopped from proceeding there to join the protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). They were released later.

Banerjee described her detention as similar to being "kidnapped", and said this was the first time she was taken in a "prison van".

Speaking to a group of journalists after being taken to Dwarka North police station in Sector 17, Banerjee said the six leaders had first asked the police for permission to go to Jantar Mantar but were told they could not.

"We were expressing solidarity in front of Derek's house. Police said more than three can't sit. We divided," she said.

Banerjee said the group then sat on the road near a bus stop on South Avenue, in front of their vehicle. She held a poster reading "Save India, Save Democracy".

"There was only one poster, 'Save India, Save Democracy'. They didn't listen. They just picked us up and put us in a prison van," she said, adding that the group had removed the banner after police objected to it.

"It's very unfortunate. We are not criminals; they picked us up like criminals," she said.

The TMC chief alleged that the leaders were driven around for nearly two hours without being told where they were being taken.

"We were moving around for two hours, didn't know where we were going. Just like being kidnapped. Now we are on the border of Haryana-Delhi," she said.

Banerjee questioned why the police had used a "prison van" to carry elected representatives.

Speaking to PTI Videos at the protest site, Banerjee said, "I do not think they should be doing all this, because by taking such actions, they are only making the protesters more popular."

"This has gone beyond an Emergency; it has become a Super Emergency," she said, adding, "Maintaining peace and remaining calm is the most important thing, but what they are doing today is not right, neither for the country nor for its people."

In a video statement released later, Banerjee said the six leaders had complied with police instructions but were detained nevertheless.

"We were practically kidnapped and taken around in a vehicle for nearly two hours; we did not violate any law," she said.

Banerjee and other TMC leaders were released from detention around 6.45 pm.

Speaking to the media after her release, she said her party had never prevented political opponents from holding meetings when it was in power in West Bengal.

"Even when we were in the Opposition, we faced such situations, but we were never treated in this manner or taken away like this. Secondly, we never resorted to violence or terror," she said.

"During our government, the BJP used to organise party meetings, the CPI(M) used to hold meetings, and every other political party was allowed to conduct its activities. We never stopped any political party. We had always said, 'We want change, not revenge'," she said.

Banerjee said her party's slogans were inspired by Rabindra Sangeet and Nazrul Geeti, and described her detention on the occasion of Mahalaya as a humiliation.

"You have insulted us in this manner, but the defeat of evil will come through human unity and solidarity," she said, invoking Goddess Durga. "In the coming days, you will see Maa Durga destroy the demons and defeat evil. Democracy will triumph, and the people will emerge victorious. This is what I firmly believe."

Banerjee said she could not catch her flight to Kolkata as her detention delayed her from reaching the airport on time. She said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also urged her to stay in Delhi and attend the INDIA bloc's programme on Monday.

"I was supposed to fly back today, but I had to cancel my flight because of what happened. I had no idea that we would be arrested and kept under illegal detention for such a long time after being practically kidnapped," she said.

Banerjee said Rahul Gandhi messaged her personally, while Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to Derek O'Brien over the phone. She had also spoken to AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal in the morning.

"Arvind was supposed to come to my house, and he had assured us last night that he would come, but I have received information that even he was not allowed to leave, and that is the problem... Instead of allowing people to participate in the protest peacefully, they are being stopped," she had said earlier.

Kejriwal, accompanied by AAP leaders and scores of party workers, was detained outside his residence at Lodhi Estate while marching towards Jantar Mantar.

Banerjee said the struggle to protect democracy would continue.

"I would say this is history. Democracy creates its history by itself. If we want to protect democracy, we must be prepared for struggle. We cannot simply abandon our struggle for democracy," she said.

The INDIA bloc is planning a protest march towards the Supreme Court on Monday against the SIR exercise, which opposition parties allege threatens the voting rights of electors. The CJP's protest on Saturday was called to demand Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls.