A police crackdown on protesters in Delhi on October 10 led to the closure of central areas, metro stations, schools, colleges and markets, while youth organisations shifted demonstrations to locations including Safdarjung flyover, Raj Ghat, Dilli Haat, Nangloi and detention centres in north-west Delhi.
Heavy police and paramilitary deployment, barricading and restrictions prevented groups from reaching the planned protest site at Jantar Mantar. Loudspeaker announcements across central Delhi said restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were in force and asked citizens to follow police directions and maintain law and order.
Hundreds of protesters were stopped, detained and taken in buses to locations on the city’s outskirts. Larger groups of 100 to 200 people arrived under the banners of different youth organisations, while smaller groups, including women and children, also attempted to reach the protest site. Police stopped the groups and made them sit inside buses, according to the report.
Near Safdarjung flyover, people attempted to stop a bus carrying detainees, including All India Students’ Association president Neha Bora. Some protesters stood in front of the vehicle, while others sat or lay on the road. Police pushed them away and used batons, the report said. Protesters also alleged that several police personnel were in civilian clothes and that some officers were not wearing name tags.
A 15-year-old protester who had travelled from Goa with her younger brother and father said police personnel pulled protesters by their hands and legs and manhandled them during the detentions. The account was attributed to the teenager by The Hindu.
At about 1 p.m., members of the Disha Students’ Organisation, Naujawan Bharat Sabha and Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India organised a protest at Raj Ghat, where more than 150 people gathered. Protesters alleged that police used excessive force. Chiranshu, an RWPI member, said several people were picked up and thrown onto the pavement, while another protester, Aragya, suffered a twisted leg and was admitted to a private hospital in Rohini. He also alleged that a police officer punched people inside a bus and that women were pushed and pulled aggressively.
The detained protesters continued their demonstration inside the bus before being taken to Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Bawana, more than 30 km from Jantar Mantar. There, they sang protest songs and discussed alleged irregularities by the Election Commission of India. Students’ Federation of India members also held a public lecture titled ‘India under undeclared Emergency’ at the Bawana detention centre. The lecture was delivered by R. Gopinath, a retired professor from Jamia Millia Islamia, who was also detained with students.
In Nangloi, Rajya Sabha member A.A. Rahim announced what he called ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’, sang the national anthem with protesters and began a hunger strike. He demanded action against Inspector Pawan Tomar over alleged misbehaviour with women students, an apology and the return of phones and bags that protesters said had been taken by the Delhi Police.
Police officers said they also suffered injuries to their arms and legs while detaining protesters. At least 12 people, including Indian Youth Congress members and two advocates, were detained from Raisina Road on Saturday morning and had not been released until late at night, according to the report. Several others, including UPSC aspirants and an autorickshaw driver, said they were detained despite not participating in the protest.
