At least 30 people travelling to Delhi to participate in a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar were taken off trains and detained by Madhya Pradesh Police at different railway stations on Friday, October 9, ahead of the proposed demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
The protesters were intercepted at Bhopal, Itarsi and Gwalior railway stations while travelling to the national capital for the October 10 demonstration organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
A senior police officer confirmed that at least 30 protesters had been detained and said they were being counselled to return to their respective home states. According to the police, those intercepted included people travelling from Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Protesters stopped during journey
The detentions came amid heightened security arrangements across several states ahead of the demonstration, which seeks the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls.
Among those detained at Itarsi was Shravani Buva, the Pune district convener of the All India Students' Federation (AISF), who had been travelling with a group of student activists.
Buva had earlier alleged that police followed students associated with Pune University before they boarded the Goa Express. According to her account, 22 activists were travelling together when police attempted to remove some of them from the train at Bhusawal in Maharashtra.
The group reportedly refused to disembark at Bhusawal but was subsequently taken off the train at Itarsi.
Detentions reach High Court
The detention of Buva and another woman, Preeti Prashant Lodhe, also reached the Madhya Pradesh High Court after habeas corpus petitions were filed seeking their production before the court.
According to police sources, the High Court directed the state counsel to produce the two women on Monday or earlier. Following the proceedings, Additional Advocate General Bramhadatt Singh issued an urgent communication to senior police officials, asking them to ensure compliance with the court's directions.
The communication was sent to the Director General of Police, the Narmadapuram Superintendent of Police, the Itarsi station house officer and the Superintendent of Police (Railways), Bhopal.
Activists allege arbitrary detention
The CJP's Telangana and Andhra Pradesh units separately alleged that seven volunteers travelling to Delhi had been detained by Madhya Pradesh Police.
The organisation claimed that four volunteers from Telangana were removed from a train during a scheduled halt at Bhopal, while three volunteers from Andhra Pradesh were intercepted at Gwalior.
The CJP alleged that the volunteers had been detained without adequate disclosure of their whereabouts or the grounds for the action. These allegations could not be independently verified.
The developments came as Delhi Police imposed extensive restrictions ahead of Saturday's demonstration, including the denial of permission for the gathering at Jantar Mantar and restrictions affecting railway and Metro services. The authorities have cited public order and security concerns in connection with the proposed protest.