Gujarat Police have detained activists, artists, civil society members and political workers as a preventive measure ahead of a nationwide protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party on Saturday, while Western Railway cancelled a Sabarmati-New Delhi Rajdhani service and announced a special train to Delhi.
DGP G S Malik told The Times of India that the police had taken precautionary measures before the protest. He said the number of people detained had not yet been ascertained. A senior police officer said those detained included people who had taken part in earlier protests over the NEET question paper leak controversy and had demanded action against then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
One of the detained activists alleged that police officials were also contacting family members and residents of their neighbourhoods and warning them against participating in the protest. The allegation was not independently established in the report. The police’s stated position, according to the report, was that the detentions formed part of precautionary measures ahead of the proposed demonstration.
The police action is expected to affect activists and members of civil society groups planning to attend or support the protest. The report did not specify the locations of all detentions, the legal provisions being used, or how long those detained would remain in custody.
Separately, Western Railway cancelled the Swarn Jayanti Rajdhani Express scheduled to depart from Sabarmati for New Delhi on Friday. The railway said the decision followed warnings of road closures and heavy traffic congestion around major railway stations in Delhi on the day of the protest.
To provide an alternative rail connection, Western Railway announced Train No. 04251, the Sabarmati-Delhi Junction Special Express, for a single trip on October 10. The report did not provide the special train’s departure time, stoppages, reservation status or capacity.
The developments combine a law-and-order response to a planned political demonstration with an operational change on one of the key rail links between Gujarat and Delhi. Further details on the number of detainees, the police action and the special train’s operating arrangements were not available in the report.
