Siasat.com
Delhi: Protests against the CAA-NRC in Jamia prompted Delhi police to detain leaders and civilians alike on Thursday. When Communist Party of India chief Sitaram Yechury and former Rajya Sabha member D. Raja started addressing the gathering, the Delhi police began assaulting both the leaders, eye witnesses said.
As the CPI stalwarts were being hauled into a police vehicle, people began shouting slogans in support of the arrested leaders. “Those who just going about their day and not a part of the protests began joining in,” says Seema Shah, a graduate student studying in Delhi.
The police along with the Rapid Action Force dispersed the crowd prompting some to flee the scene. However, not all the demonstrators took to their heels. “It was clear that they were looking to target those whose appearances fit the stereotypical mould of a Muslim or a leftist. A young friend of mine with a beard and long hair was bullied more than us since our attire didn’t’ reflect any markers of our identity,” she revealed.
However, those that remained were escorted onto a bus and transported to the Mandir Marg Police Station. When she posted updates of her arrest via social media, lawyers and activists like Mariya Salim mobilized the supporters. She also managed to get advocates to assist detainees with the release. “Among the prominent detainees were the late Congress leader Sheila Dixit’s daughter, INC politician Ajay Maken, and his 18-year old son.”
Besides the Congress contingency, many from Yogendra Yadav’s Swaraj Abhiyan Party, were among the apprehended.
Be it the high-profile detainees or the ordinary ones, the police kept them in the station’s open courtyard where slogans reverberated further. Rather than pleading the authorities to release their children, parents volunteered to join them in custody.
However, they were let go about an hour later.
Shah added, “What we went through was obviously nothing compared to the treatment meted out to Jamia Milia Islamia students last week.”