‘Oh, We Send everyone to Judicial Custody’: Delhi Police in Hearing Against Activist

New Delhi: On Sunday (November 1), between 150 and 200 protesters had set out to march from Ramlila Maidan to Jantar Mantar, protesting against the government’s order to denotify Jantar Mantar as a protest site. Several of those The Wire spoke to showed marks and scratches they said were caused by the police using force against them during the detentions.

The INDIA bloc had on the same day held a massive rally at Ramlila Maidan, which went smoothly, without any police action.

One of the protesters, Wishal, an activist with the Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India, was singled out and lifted by police personnel before being arrested.

About 50 protesters were detained and taken to the Jaffarpur Kalan and Dwarka Sector 23 police stations. An FIR was registered against 24 of them under sections 223(a) (penalises the disobedience of an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant), 132 (summons/warrant in case of person not present when required), 221 (obstructing public servant in discharge of functions), 121(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 3(5) (crime committed by several persons in furtherance of the common intention of all) and 61(2) (party to a criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).