Jantar Mantar 2.0 on Saturday: Delhi Police ordered to detain protesters

• Delhi Police detained several protesters at and around Jantar Mantar, including senior activists and women protesters, as police presence and barricades intensified

• Protesters alleged manhandling and mistreatment of women, while AISA president Neha Bora accused policewomen of using force during her detention

• Congress and Youth Congress leaders criticised the police action, raised allegations involving a woman journalist and demanded accountability over the handling of the protests

Jantar Mantar can accommodate around 5,000 people at a time. On Saturday, protesters demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar arrived in small groups, with numbers well below the venue’s capacity. They raised slogans and, if allowed to remain, were expected to hear speeches from fellow protesters. However, Delhi Police detained several protesters. Even a lone woman sitting calmly in front of a barricade with a poster was detained and taken away in a bus.

There were more media personnel than protesters around Jantar Mantar at 2 pm on Saturday, while police personnel outnumbered both. Dozens of buses stood by, ready to block roads or transport detained protesters. The march to Jantar Mantar was scheduled for 1 pm, but only a handful of protesters were seen an hour later.

About half an hour later, a small group of protesters, including transparency activist Anjali Bhardwaj, senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Prashant Bhushan, Bharat Jodo Abhiyan convenor Yogendra Yadav and AISA national president Neha Bora, set out on foot from Patel Chowk, about half a kilometre away. They led a small group of protesters. Police tried to stop them with barricades at Patel Chowk, but the protesters crossed the police cordon. As they approached Kerala House, they again encountered barricades blocking their entry towards Jantar Mantar.

Protesters rushed forward and physically moved the barricades, appearing poised to break through when Yogendra Yadav was seen dissuading them. Yadav and the other senior protesters urged them to avoid confrontation, stressing that the protest was intended to remain peaceful. The young protesters then calmed down and indicated that they would proceed peacefully.

Delhi Police, however, moved in to detain the group. Several policemen approached the protesters and pushed and dragged them towards a waiting bus. Kapil Sibal, in view of his age, was advised by his colleagues to step back. Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav did not resist and boarded the bus while raising slogans. AISA president Neha Bora resisted as policewomen attempted to detain her. She was subsequently dragged along the road and pushed into the bus.

It was during the scuffle between Bora, her associates, including several young women, and the police that a young female protester’s pyjama was allegedly pulled down, exposing her undergarments. In a video statement later in the evening, Bora accused policewomen of elbowing protesters, digging their nails into them and pulling the bra straps of young women. She also showed bruises and scratch marks that she said she had sustained during the day and said she would return on Sunday to take part in the citizens’ march.

Bora has proved difficult for Delhi Police personnel to restrain, with male officers also stepping in as policewomen attempted to detain her, amid a crowd of cameras recording the scuffles. The previous day, on 2 October, Neha had forced her way out of a police bus three times, each time returning to the protest while raising slogans. Her calm demeanour drew attention from onlookers. She did not use profanities or abuse the police personnel, instead targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing them of stifling citizens’ voices.

It is unclear why Delhi Police detained or used force against several women around Jantar Mantar on Saturday. Women journalists and Youth Congress activists were also among those who alleged that they were manhandled.

Bolta Hindustan reported on Saturday that a woman journalist had accused a police officer of molesting her. After the allegation spread, journalists and YouTubers, including both men and women, marched to the Parliament Street police station, demanding that an FIR be registered against the officer.

The protesters identified the officer as an ACP-rank official, submitted video footage that they said showed him touching the woman inappropriately and sought action against him. Police accepted their complaint but said an FIR would be registered only after examining CCTV footage from the area and conducting a preliminary inquiry.

The journalists claimed that the woman was being pressured to withdraw her complaint and not insist on an FIR. In return, they alleged, she was assured that the officer concerned would apologise to her and say “sorry”.

The leader of the Opposition tweeted, “Women and students across Delhi are worried about their safety and are staging a protest — yet the police, who are supposed to protect women, are assaulting them. A government that fears registering a woman’s complaint — who is it protecting?”

Congress leader Gurmehar Kaur, along with NSUI activists, began an indefinite sit-in outside the organisation’s office at 5 Raisina Road. The sit-in continued for around four hours. However, after police became aware of the protest, the protesters were detained and allegedly taken towards the outskirts of Delhi late at night. The Youth Congress also alleged that Delhi Police were detaining students at Jantar Mantar, loading them into buses and taking them to undisclosed locations.

Youth Congress national president Uday Bhanu Chib said, “Who gave the police the right to cram girls into buses from Jantar Mantar in the dark of night? Amit Shah’s police appear to be acting as predators, not protectors.”

The Youth Congress said Delhi Police released all the detained women students shortly after the protest.