Mumbai Police detained Tushar Gandhi, president of Hum Bharat Ke Log, and several other organisers ahead of a protest planned at August Kranti Maidan on October 10, according to The Hindu. The protest was being held in support of a demonstration by the Cockroach Janata Party at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
Gandhi was picked up at the National College intersection and taken to a police station, organisers said. He was initially taken to Santa Cruz Police Station and later brought to the DN Nagar Police Station, where he said he remained in custody.
“We will continue our protest despite detention. We appeal to everyone to reach August Kranti Maidan this afternoon,” Gandhi and other organisers said, according to the report. Gandhi also said that police might take his phone.
The reported detentions came amid heightened police vigilance across Maharashtra involving people who intended to travel to Delhi for the demonstration. Mumbai Police detained more than 200 people on October 9 to prevent them from leaving for the national capital, The Hindu reported.
Organisers also said that Feroze Mithoborewala and a few other leaders were allegedly detained. The report did not include a response from the Mumbai Police explaining the legal basis for the detentions or stating how long those held would remain in custody.
The planned Mumbai gathering at August Kranti Maidan places the episode within the city’s broader system for managing public assemblies. The ground is a designated civic space associated with political and public demonstrations, making police decisions around access, crowd control and preventive detention directly relevant to the functioning of public protest in the city.
The detentions also affected movement beyond Mumbai. Police action at local intersections and stations, as well as checks on people planning to travel to Delhi, formed part of a wider effort to restrict participation in the national protest, according to the report. The immediate operational details, including whether the organisers were formally arrested or released, were not available in the supplied account.
Organisers said the protest at August Kranti Maidan would continue on the afternoon of October 10 despite the reported detentions.
