Mumbai, Jul 20 (PTI) Hundreds of students, youth and senior citizens staged protests in different Maharashtra cities on Monday in support of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and the Cockroach Janta Party’s stir in Delhi demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
Security forces resorted to a baton charge near Parliament Street in New Delhi after thousands of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters, protesting against the paper leaks, allegedly tried to breach barricades while marching towards Parliament on the first day of the Monsoon session.
As CJP supporters, including students, marched towards Parliament, the police tried to stop them and used teargas and lathi-charged them. The police action came two days after Wangchuk was forcefully taken away by Delhi Police from the Jantar Mantar protest site on July 18 and admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital on the 21st day of his hunger strike.
As the CJP agitation and march towards Parliament rocked the national capital, demonstrations broke out in different cities of Maharashtra in their support.
Police detained several protesters in central Mumbai as they gathered at Chaityabhoomi, the cremation place of B R Ambedkar, to express solidarity with Wangchuk and the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march of the CJP.
Protests were also staged at multiple locations in Mumbai demanding the resignation of Pradhan.
NCP (SP) activists protested outside the Mumbai University demanding Pradhan’s resignation and to express solidarity with Wangchuk.
Opposition leaders accused authorities of curbing the democratic right to protest.
As police removed the demonstrators from Chaityabhoomi, they raised slogans against the Union government and alleged that the Maharashtra government had denied them permission to hold a peaceful protest.
Fahad Ahmed, who contested the Maharashtra assembly election on an NCP (SP) ticket, was among those detained by the police.
Speaking to reporters from a police van, Ahmed alleged that the state government had suppressed the protesters’ constitutional rights.
“The Maharashtra Chief Minister describes himself fondly as Devabhau, but he is not letting protesters exercise their fundamental right. The constitutional rights are being ignored. Like Delhi, the students here were also beaten up. This protest will widen further,” he said.
Youths protesting at Chaityabhoomi were detained and taken to the Mahim police station.
Local Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Mahesh Sawant visited the protesters and assured them support.
Talking to reporters, Sawant said his party will stand by the agitators.
“What is happening is wrong. Why is the resignation of the education minister not being taken?” the Opposition party MLA asked.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray claimed there were orders from the “top” to act against people who had gathered peacefully.
He said his party was standing by the young Indians protesting against the brute force used by the BJP government in New Delhi.
“All Sonam Wangchuk and (CJP founder) Abhijeet Dipke are asking for is the resignation of an incompetent minister,” Thackeray maintained.
Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad said several people have been detained or put under house arrest for wanting to gather in solidarity with the protesters in Delhi.
“This is shameful. Citizens have right to peacefully demonstrate against the government. We demand everyone be released Immediately. The BJP government’s autocracy is touching new lows every day,” alleged the Lok Sabha MP.
State NCP (SP) president Shashikant Shinde, who participated in a protest in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, said the NEET paper leak caused loss to lakhs of students and drove them into the abyss of despair.
Chanting anti-government slogans over alleged exam paper leaks, angry demonstrators, including students and senior citizens, gathered at Samvidhan Square in Nagpur and vowed to press ahead with their agitation until the education minister steps down.
Protesters expressed outrage over the forcible removal of Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar and the lathi-charge on students during their march to Parliament. Holding placards, banners and photos of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, demonstrators gathered at the site amid heavy police deployment.
One of the young demonstrators said their agitation will continue till the education minister resigns.
Students and advocates protested at Kranti Chowk in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar seeking the resignation of Pradhan for alleged irregularities in the education sector and exam paper leaks.
One of the participants said she was a NEET aspirant and wanted the government to clarify why it was not ready to hold anyone accountable for the exam paper leak in May.
“No statement has been issued by the government despite the hunger strike by activist Sonam Wangchuk. This is not democracy,” she said.
Instead of showing haste in removing Wangchuk from the agitation site at Jantar Mantar, the Union government should have shown speed in improving the education system, another agitator said.
If the system fails, the minister must resign, the protester added.
Advocates who took part in the protest condemned police action on those taking part in the CJP-led ‘Sansad Chalo’ march in New Delhi.
They said the government is behaving as if people have not right to question them.
The students’ association of the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) said it has extended support to the CJP and Wangchuk in their protest over alleged irregularities in the education sector and exam paper leaks.
It held a protest on the FTII campus in support of the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march of CJP.
In the light of the ongoing protests that are being held nationwide demanding the resignation of Pradhan, the students of FTII stand with the cause, the FTII Students’ Association (FSA) said in a statement.
The NCP (SP) also held a protest outside the Thane collector’s office. It was led by the party’s Thane unit chief Manoj Pradhan and MLA Jitendra Awhad.
A protest was held at Mahatma Gandhi Chowk in Latur seeking the resignation of Pradhan. The protesters also condemned police action on demonstrators during the CJP-led ‘Sansad Chalo’ march in New Delhi and asserted it was an attempt to suppress those seeking accountability. PTI CLS AW ND PR MR COR SPK BNM NSK ARU RSY
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