: A group of activists from the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) were on Thursday detained outside the Reserve Bank of India, where they were protesting against the rule that notes cannot be exchanged there till March 31.
A handful of depositors, unaware of the rule, had turned up again on Thursday but were told about the new rule and that the RBI was closed on account of the day being a public holiday. They then had to leave empty-handed.
False assurance
Even as this was happening, around two dozen AIDWA members turned up and started raising slogans against the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had in November announced the demonetisation of ₹500 and 1,000 notes along with the assurance that money could be exchanged till March 31. Later, it was announced that the March deadline was only for NRIs.
The protesters said people’s money was hard earned and that the Prime Minister should keep his word. However, 10 minutes into the sloganeering, the police arrived at the spot. They dragged the protesters into a van and took them to the Parliament Street police station. The protesters were later let off, said a senior police officer.
This was the second time in two days that dramatic scenes were witnessed outside the RBI. On Wednesday, a 30-year-old woman had resorted to stripping in front of a crowd outside the RBI after her bid to deposit ₹5,000 at the bank failed.
