Mumbai: After Delhi, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) held a protest at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Sunday at 4 pm against the alleged manipulation of voter lists by the Election Commission. However, Mumbai Police detained hundreds of protesters, including AAP leader Anjali Damania.
Heavy Security At Shivaji Park
The Shivaji Park area was turned into a police fortress, with heavy security arrangements at all entrances and roads leading to the ground. Thousands of police personnel, including senior officers, were deployed in the area. Police blocked roads leading to Shivaji Park and questioned normal citizens walking near the ground.
Despite the restrictions, a few protesters arrived from Lady Jamshedji Road near Shiv Sena Bhavan, raising slogans against the Election Commission and the BJP government. The slogans included “Modi jab-jab darta hai, police ko aage karta hai”, “Vote chor, gaddi chhod” and “Gyanesh Kumar, isteefa do”. The protesters were detained near Shiv Sena Bhavan. Meanwhile, AAP leader Anjali Damania was detained at Raja Badhe Chowk.
Police Confirm 300 Detentions
Mahendra Pandit, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Region III, said, “Around 300 protesters were detained today. They have since been released. The process of registering FIRs is underway.”
During the agitation, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, his brother Tejas Thackeray, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray's son Amit Thackeray, and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Varun Sardesai joined the protesters and demanded the release of those detained.
Aaditya Intercepts Police Van
When police began detaining protesters and students near Shiv Sena Bhavan, Aaditya and Tejas Thackeray took to the streets. Aaditya intercepted a police van carrying detained protesters, climbed onto the vehicle and strongly criticised the police action.
Aaditya Thackeray, Tejas Thackeray and Varun Sardesai later visited Shivaji Park police station and appealed to the police to release the protesters. The police released the all protesters soon after.
Amit Thackeray Criticises Detentions
After learning about the detentions, Amit Thackeray arrived at Shivaji Park and attempted to stop a police van carrying protesters. Expressing strong displeasure over the police action against CJP supporters and other demonstrators, he said, “No one had seen such police even during the Emergency.”
Meanwhile, a student detained by the police suffered a panic attack at Tardeo Police Station and was taken to Nair Hospital. Jayant Meena, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Region I, said, “One person aged 25 years was taken to Nair Hospital. He is well now, and he will be discharged in 30 minutes.”
Protester Questions Police Action
Before being detained, a protester named Smith said, “Detaining protesters has become common now. This action is shameful. There are more police personnel than protesters. This shows that democracy no longer exists in the country.”
Another protester, Farida, who was also detained, questioned the heavy police deployment. Before her detention, she said, “We know that heavy police deployment has been made at Shivaji Park, especially after several protesters were detained on Saturday. Is waving the Tricolour a crime? So many police personnel have been deployed, and they are detaining even people who are simply standing there and doing nothing illegal.”
Researcher Calls Protest Peaceful
Manjiri, a research professional who had arrived at Shivaji Park to participate in the protest, described the demonstration as peaceful and criticised the police action. “This is a peaceful protest. There are more police personnel than protesters. This is not a sign of democracy. The police are not just detaining protesters; they are kidnapping them. This is like an Emergency. The police are dragging protesters away and detaining them. The government is trying to create fear among the youth through the police,” she said.
A woman working in marketing, who requested anonymity, said the police action was shocking. “This scene is unusual for Mumbai. Mumbai and Maharashtra have a different history. This kind of action against protesters is shocking,” she said.
Earlier, in Delhi, police detained several activists and allegedly used force to prevent them from protesting. Police also detained three key CJP leaders at the airport and released them after around 24 hours. Following their release, the party announced a protest at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Sunday.
Mumbai Police subsequently stepped up security around the park and began detaining CJP activists and other protesters. On Saturday, police also detained around 600 protesters, including Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, ahead of a planned demonstration at August Kranti Maidan.
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