Former Rajya Sabha member and actress Roopa Ganguly was arrested Thursday after a night-long sit-in demonstration outside a police station in South Kolkata, where she was demanding the release of local BJP leader Rubi Das.

Das was among several BJP supporters detained on Wednesday evening while protesting the tragic death of a local schoolboy, who was killed after being struck by a payloader used by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation for road repairs.

Ganguly arrived at the Bansdroni Police Station soon after the incident and initiated her protest, asserting that Das and other BJP members were peacefully demonstrating when they were allegedly attacked by local Trinamool Congress activists. She accused the police of arresting the demonstrators instead of addressing the violence against them.

Ganguly continued her sit-in throughout the night, and around 10 a.m. on Thursday, Kolkata Police announced her arrest. She was escorted from the police station by a police vehicle, reportedly without her personal belongings.

According to city police officials, Ganguly was arrested for obstructing on-duty officers from carrying out their responsibilities. Meanwhile, local residents expressed their dissatisfaction over the schoolboy’s death, noting the absence of their local Trinamool Congress councillor, Anita Kar Majumdar, even hours after the incident.

Ganguly gained widespread recognition for her portrayal of ‘Draupadi’ in the acclaimed television series “Mahabharat” before entering politics as a member of the BJP and serving in the Rajya Sabha.