Mumbai: Organisers and participants of the All India Students Summit were detained on Thursday, after they tried to go ahead with the programme despite being denied permission by the police.
The summit, an annual event organised by Chhatra Bharti, a students’ organisation, was scheduled to be held at Bhaidas Hall in Vile Parle. MLA Jignesh Mevani, and student leader Umer Khalid, along with MLC Kapil Patil and Allahabad University student leader Richa Singh were to attend.
According to the police, an event that is held indoors does not usually require permission, unless it has the potential to create a law and order situation. “The organisers had informed the Juhu police last month and we were aware that Mr. Mevani and Mr. Khalid would be attending. The police had on Wednesday issued a notice, advising the organisers to cancel it. The notice said that the organisers would be held responsible if they conducted the event,” a police officer said.
On Thursday morning, the police received information that the organisers were trying to go ahead with the programme. Police teams reached Bhaidas Hall and the detentions began by around 8 a.m.
Organisers, on the other hand, said that permissions are required only for public meetings. “This was a closed-door event for which we only needed to intimate the police,” one of the organisers said, adding that this was done a week ago.
Mr. Patil claimed that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis did not ask the organisers to postpone the event. “The CM is lying. We did not receive any intimation from him personally or his office,” he said, reacting to reports that the CM had told Prakash Ambedkar on Thursday that the organisers were asked to postpone the event in light of the bandh on Wednesday.
“Until last night we were in touch with the police on security arrangements. They were in fact reassuring us that all arrangements would be made. At no point were we told that this event could not be held,” Mr. Patil said.
Several members of Chhatra Bharti reached Juhu police station as a mark of protest, followed by Mr. Patil. The situation remained tense at the station, and some of the detainees were moved to Vile Parle, Santacruz and D.N. Nagar.
Members said that the police action led to confusion among those who reached the city from various parts of Maharashtra. “There were nearly 60 to 70 students for whom this was their first trip to the city. They were not allowed to leave Vile Parle railway station, and were then taken to Vile Parle police station,” said Ashwini Satav, one of the organisers.
Ms. Singh, who was taken to Santacruz police station, said, “Free thought is being arrested every day by this government. We will continue to fight from the streets to Parliament.”
“They were just children, many of them in their first year of college. Today, the government has shown its true fascist face,” Mr. Patil said.
The detainees were held till the evening before being charged and released. “A total of 150 people were detained and charged under the Maharashtra Police Act. We have imposed bandobast in Juhu and nearby areas to avoid untoward incidents,” Mumbai Police spokesperson DCP Sachin Patil said.
Organisers said that this was an annual conference to discuss students’ issues and three months of planning had gone into it. “We had booked the hall two months ago when Mr. Mewani was not an MLA,” Sagar Bhalerao, one of the organisers, said.
Ms. Singh said that all student movements would come together to fight oppression. “The government is scared of students because we are giving them a stiff challenge.”
Mr. Patil said that the event might have gone unnoticed had it not been for today’s action. “We will merge our agitations with those currently being undertaken by other marginalised sections to resist this undemocratic government.”
( With inputs from Ajeet Mahale )
