Mumbai, Oct 10: Police on Saturday detained around 600 people, including actor Imran Khan, activist Tushar Gandhi and CPI (M) workers, from various locations in Mumbai for protesting without permission in solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s demonstration in New Delhi.
Several protesters complained of manhandling by the police.
The demonstrations were held at the August Kranti Maidan, Hutatma Chowk and other locations in the metropolis.
At Hutatma Chowk in south Mumbai, several workers of the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) held a protest.
Hundreds of people, including those belonging to Tushar Gandhi-led ‘Hum Bharat Ke Log’ organisation, and activists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) assembled at the August Kranti Maidan without permission, and around 200 of them were detained for protesting, a police official said.
“Overall, around 600 people were detained from various spots across the city,” the official said.
One of the protesters, Rubaid Bhojani, alleged that the police took the protesters into custody “very brutally”.
“We voted for the Prime Minister, but he betrayed us. We demand Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation,” Bhojani said.
Actor Imran Khan was among the protesters detained by the police at the August Kranti Maidan in south Mumbai.
“Apparently, I am going for a drive,” the actor posted on a social media platform from a police van.
A video later surfaced, which showed Khan responding to a reporter’s query, while he was being forced into the police vehicle, about his participation in the protest. “I have no demands. I am not part of any organisation,” he said.
He was also seen asking the police, “What have I done? Why am I being manhandled?”
A senior citizen with a heart pacemaker alleged that a police constable pulled and pushed her.
Another protester alleged that what could have been a peaceful meeting with some slogans and fiery speeches was turned into a brutal spectacle of police dragging people into police vans and detaining them.
The protesters were shifted to Gamdevi and Tardeo police stations.
Earlier in the day, Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, was picked up from Bandra and taken to D N Nagar police station. A large number of people gathered outside the police station. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray also visited the police station demanding Gandhi’s release.
The police finally released Gandhi around nine hours after his detention.
Gandhi had earlier shared a poster on X, urging citizens to join a protest at August Kranti Maidan at 3.30 pm.
Activist Feroze Mithiborwala was also taken into custody from his home and shifted to the MIDC police station.
Meanwhile, additional police personnel, including women officers, were deployed at Shivaji Park in Dadar to prevent CJP members from staging a demonstration.
Security was also stepped up at other locations across Mumbai.
Authorities maintained that August Kranti Maidan is not designated as a protest site in accordance with a Bombay High Court order, prompting preventive action to maintain law and order.
The CJP has called a demonstration at Jantar Mantar against the CEC over allegations of voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and changes relating to Form 6, used for voter registration.
In Delhi, an unprecedented security clampdown and the detention of over 7,000 protesters, including CJP leader Abhijit Dipke, four former chief ministers and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, helped the government thwart a planned mass mobilisation at Jantar Mantar.
