NEW DELHI: A total of 185 students were detained by police on Tuesday while they were going to the Ramlila Maidan to protest against the new citizenship law and the recent communal riots in northeast Delhi. According to police, the protesters were detained from different locations in the national capital and taken to several police stations.
All detained students were later released, police said. “In total, 185 protesters were detained and taken to nearby police stations of Kamla Market, Hari Nagar and Bawana,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Sanjay Bhatia said, adding that all the protesters have been released.
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Around 200 students gathered at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday morning in response to a protest call given by the Young India Coordination Committee, which comprises members from various student bodies. Former IAS officer and activist Kannan Gopinathan was also present. However, the police restrained the students from proceeding towards the Ramlila Maidan.
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Police said the students did not have permission for the march to Parliament. Former JNU Students’ Union president N Sai Balaji, who was leading the march, said, “We had applied for permission on February 27. We were informed on Monday about the permission being rejected. It is last-minute intimation”.
Later, student groups who arrived at Jantar Mantar raised anti-government slogans and demanded the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah over the recent communal riots in northeast Delhi. Many students carried posters and banners that read: “Peace, Not Riot”, “Scrap Sedition Law”, “Reject anti-poor, Reject anti-Muslim,” “DU for communal harmony”, and “Stop police brutality on anti-CAA protestors”.
The former IAS officer, Gopinathan, said he was happy that there are still people who are not afraid to question the Centre.