BHOPAL: At least five trains bound for the national capital from different parts of Madhya Pradesh have been cancelled, while several students travelling to Delhi to participate in Saturday’s CJP protest have reportedly been detained in the BJP-ruled state.
The five trains reportedly cancelled ahead of the protest in Delhi include the 20155 Dr Ambedkar Nagar–New Delhi Express, Indore–Hazrat Nizamuddin/New Delhi Special Express, Sabarmati–New Delhi Express, which passes through Madhya Pradesh, Jabalpur–Hazrat Nizamuddin Mahakoshal Express and Jabalpur–Hazrat Nizamuddin Gondwana Superfast Express.
Meanwhile, at least 14 students from Pune, Maharashtra, including two women, who were travelling to Delhi by the Goa Express to participate in Saturday’s protest, were taken off the train at Itarsi railway station in Narmadapuram district of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday evening.
The 14 students, who are reportedly associated with the All India Students Federation (AISF), were detained under Section 172 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which deals with persons required to comply with lawful directions issued by the police. They were subsequently taken to a private hotel-cum-resort, according to informed police sources.
The students were released and sent home from Itarsi on Friday evening, the sources said.
Meanwhile, the matter of their detention reached the principal bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur on Friday. Family members of the two female students among those detained in Itarsi filed a habeas corpus petition.
The High Court issued notices to the state government and the police and directed them to produce the two students before it by Monday, October 12.
According to informed sources, some other students travelling to Delhi to participate in the protest were also detained at Gwalior railway station.
In addition, 10 students travelling by train to attend the protest in Delhi were detained and taken to Barkatullah University in Bhopal.
Meanwhile, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) alleged that its Madhya Pradesh activists had taken to the streets to demand the release of their fellow students, but the police were attempting to forcibly remove them.
“The government is so terrified and panicked that it is trying to stop students from even reaching Delhi. But remember, movements don't stop by silencing voices! NSUI Madhya Pradesh stands firmly with its comrades and is fighting for their release,” the organisation said in a post on X.