MUMBAI: In Maharashtra, police have filed an FIR against more than 900 students, while more than 300 students have been detained at various police stations for participating in protests against the medical exam paper leak.
A Maharashtra Congress delegation led by state Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal met Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti and Maharashtra Director General of Police Sadanand Date to apprise them of the situation of the detained students. The delegation alleged that innocent students, including juveniles, had been detained, calling it a gross violation of human rights.
The Congress party's legal cell also compiled a report on the detentions, alleging that students were not provided copies of the FIRs and were deprived of legal assistance.
The student protests were held at three major locations in Mumbai — Azad Maidan, Shivaji Park and Chaitya Bhumi in Dadar. In Nagpur, the protest took place in front of the RSS headquarters.
Parents of the students and other affected people alleged that police were compelling the detained students to disclose their personal details, including names, mobile numbers, residential addresses, as well as their parents' contact details. They also alleged that students were threatened with dire consequences for participating in the protest against the medical exam paper leak.
Police served notices to the students under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. FIRs were also registered against the students under Sections 189(2), 189(3) and 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with Sections 37(1)(3) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act.
The Maharashtra Congress legal cell's report submitted to the Maharashtra Police stated that students were intercepted and detained at various locations, including metro stations and public places, even before they reached the protest venues.
It also alleged that several people who had nothing to do with the protest were detained simply because they were passing through the protest area.
According to the report, the volunteer legal aid team received approximately 500 to 700 telephone calls from students and their family members seeking urgent legal assistance in connection with the detentions. It further stated that FIRs had been lodged against more than 900 students, while over 300 had been detained in various cases.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray addressed a press conference and extended support to the student protest and the demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
They announced a massive march on Sunday, July 26, against the government and appealed to parents and students to participate for the better future of their children.
Raj Thackeray said that when the Congress-led government was in power, the BJP used to protest and demand the resignations of ministers and chief ministers in the name of accountability. He said that now the BJP is in power, its ministers are not above accountability, and since India is a democracy, accountability must be fixed by sacking Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in connection with the paper leak.