2 hrs ago
MP Police Release 14 Activists; Pune Detains 88 Protesters
Fourteen people from Pune were travelling to Delhi for a protest when Madhya Pradesh police stopped them at Itarsi railway station.
The group was later taken back to Pune and released on Saturday evening.
Activist Shrawani Buwa said the police took their phones, while an MP police officer said officers advised the group to return home.
A court in Madhya Pradesh told police to bring the activists before it on October 13 or return them safely to their families.
In Pune, another group gathered for a rally near Lal Mahal.
Police said the rally had not been approved and was obstructing traffic.
They detained about 88 people and said they would release them after legal procedures.
The demonstrations concerned the Chief Election Commissioner and the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists.
Madhya Pradesh police detained 14 people travelling from Pune to a Delhi protest at Itarsi railway station.
The 14, including five women and two people who were not protesters, were released in Pune on Saturday evening.
Activist Shrawani Buwa said police took their phones; police counselled the group to return home, according to an MP officer.
A Madhya Pradesh High Court order required police to produce the activists on October 13 or return them safely to their families.
Pune police detained about 88 people at Lal Mahal after an unapproved rally calling for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s arrest and an end to SIR.
- Who
- Fourteen activists and others travelling from Pune, including AISF leader Shrawani Buwa; separately, about 88 rally participants were detained by Pune police.
- What
- The 14 were released after being detained in Madhya Pradesh; Pune police detained about 88 people at an unapproved rally.
- Where
- The first group was detained at Itarsi railway station and returned to Pune. The second group gathered near Lal Mahal and Shaniwar Wada in Pune.
- When
- Saturday; the Madhya Pradesh High Court directed police to produce the 14 or return them safely by October 13.
- Why
- The 14 were travelling to a Delhi protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. The Pune rally called for his arrest and the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision; police cited lack of permission and traffic obstruction for detaining participants.
Activists’ account
Police account
Detention of the 14 travelling activists
Activists’ account
Shrawani Buwa said the group was taken to a resort-like location, their cellphones were taken, and they were detained unlawfully.
Police account
A senior Madhya Pradesh police officer said the protesters were counselled to return to their home states.
Pune rally detentions
Activists’ account
Protesters gathered to march from Lal Mahal to the District Collectorate against the Chief Election Commissioner and the Special Intensive Revision.
Police account
Pune police said permission was not granted because of law-and-order concerns, the gathering obstructed traffic, and detentions were a lawful preventive action.
Key facts
- Activists returned
- 14 people, including five women and two non-protesters, were released in Pune around 6 pm Saturday, according to Shrawani Buwa.
- Initial detention site
- Itarsi railway station, Madhya Pradesh
- Court direction
- The Madhya Pradesh High Court directed police to produce the activists on October 13 or send them safely to their families.
- Pune detentions
- About 88 protesters were detained near Lal Mahal and taken to Lashkar police station.
- Rally route
- From Lal Mahal to the Pune District Collectorate
- Police explanation
- Pune police said permission was not granted for law-and-order reasons and that protesters obstructed traffic.
- Protest demands
- The rally called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s arrest and scrapping the Special Intensive Revision.
Quotes
Shrawani Buwa
AISF leader and one of the activists detained by Madhya Pradesh police.
“Five cops from MP accompanied us on the bus. All 14 of us were released at my home in Model Colony, Shivajinagar, around 6 pm. Before that, we were taken to the Kharadi police station for about an hour…. I will be going back to MP for the hearing of the habeas corpus petition. After the hearing, I will also speak at a press conference in MP, jointly organised by Communist Party of India (CPI), AISF and CJP, against the illegal detention.”
indianexpress.com
“Instead of any police station, we were taken to a resort-like place. We questioned the MP cops about it, but they did not respond. They snatched our cellphones. By that time, I had shared my live location, so AISF activists traced us and then we got our phones back.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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