Shankar Ghosh, the Siliguri BJP MLA, along with five other MLAs of the saffron party and eight supporters, were detained by police for nearly five hours before their proposed sit-in in Hashmi Chowk, a prominent crossing at Hill Cart Road, on Monday.

Ghosh, who was vocal over the past few days following the state government’s decision to organise a public service distribution programme of chief minister Mamata Banerjee at Kanchenjungha Stadium, had around 4.30pm gone to Hashmi Chowk with the other MLAs and party supporters to protest.

“We demanded that the stadium be allowed only to host sports events. It is unfortunate that the stadium is being used for government functions and cultural events. That is why we planned the protest,” said Ghosh.

Ghosh, along with five other BJP MLAs — Chinmoy Deb Barman of Gazole, Satyen Roy of Gangarampur, Manoj Oraon of Kumargram, Puna Bhengra of Nagrakata and Kaushik Roy of Mainaguri — reached the crossing, but the police thwarted their protest.

Around 4.45pm, all the six MLAs, along with eight more BJP supporters, were taken to the police vehicles parked nearby.

The MLAs resisted and raised slogans. However, they were soon whisked away to Siliguri police station.

The stadium is located around 200 metres away from the crossing from where the police picked them up.

As the news spread, BJP supporters, led by Amit Jain, the leader of the Opposition in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, assembled in front of the police station and launched a protest, demanding the immediate release of the MLAs and party supporters.

“Some of my colleagues in the Assembly and the sports lovers of the city have joined me. But the police resorted to highhandedness and apprehended us without any reason,” said the Siliguri MLA.

They were released around 9.30pm.

Sources said Ghosh planned to continue the “dharna” till Tuesday morning, the same day when Mamata is scheduled to reach the stadium for the event.

Raju Bista, the BJP MP of Darjeeling, was highly critical of the police.

“The MLA of Siliguri, along with some others, got arrested when he protested against the tyranny of the TMC government. BJP will not tolerate it,” Bista, a national spokesperson of the party, said in a statement.

District BJP leaders, who also criticised the detention of the MLAs, said that on Tuesday when Mamata attends the government function at the stadium, they will arrange an indoor meeting in New Jalpaiguri on the southern end of Siliguri, which Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, will attend.

Arun Mondal, the president of BJP’s Siliguri (organisational) district, said Adhikari and some party MLAs of north Bengal would attend the meeting "Uttarer Uttaraner Khoj (Quest for Ascension of the North)".

"We have also invited people from different walks of life and want to know their opinion on how comprehensive development can be done in north Bengal. The Trinamul government has deprived the region,” said Mondal.