UPSC aspirants demanding an extra attempt joined the league of students who were detained and manhandled for protesting recently. Aspirants claim that female protesters were detained after 6 pm and by male police officers.
What happened?
After PGIMS Rohtak, VBU and JNU students, the UPSC candidates staging protests demanding compensatory attempts were manhandled, and detained in the wee hours of December 20. The police force cleared the protest site at Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar and dismantled their tents. "How is it a democracy if I cannot even protest peacefully?" asks Nitin Kumar, an aspirant.
The documented moments shared with EdexLive portrayed, in glimpses, the shots from the protest site last night. Among them were images of the police force dragging the aspirants while students were chanting Inquilab Zindabad and Vande Mataram. One could also hear wailing and screaming in the shadows of the dark winter night. Candidates allege that students were physically assaulted to the point that their clothing was torn.
"As a doctor, I was bound by the Essential Service Act during the pandemic; I have served my nation wholeheartedly under that. However, in that service, I lost my attempt, and now that we are demanding another chance, we are being lathi-charged," says Dr Vidya Singh, an aspirant who is also a doctor at AIIMS (All India Institute Of Medical Science), Delhi.
She further states, "They did not even spare the women, who were severely manhandled by the male police officers. However, we will sustain the movement till we get an attempt."
Amulya Animesh, a UPSC aspirant who is taking care of the legal aspect of the movement, points out that the right to peaceful protest is a Fundamental Right under Article 19. And that it was under false pretext of disturbing public order that they were treated like "stray animals".
"But for the compensation of the injustice caused by the pandemic, we will not leave any stone unturned. Even when it comes to knocking on the doors of the Supreme Court. We will take these visuals of how the police treated us and ask, 'Is this the lenicnay you wanted to show towards teh candidates?'" says Amulya.
Background
The demonstration from yesterday was a part of a much larger Maha Satyagraha protest that began on November 26, Constitution Day. The candidates explained that they intended it to be a Gandhian-styled nonviolent movement that would go on until their demands were met. However, they were compelled to postpone it due to the Delhi Election. Again, on December 17 and 18, the aspirants held a candlelight march, followed by protests on December 19 and 20.
Students further claim that although the students got authorization to protest, their site was cleared, and their tents were pulled down by the police last night.
To recall, the aspirants of the 2020, 2021 and 2022 batches have been protesting for a compensatory attempt for candidates who have been impacted by the pandemic. Nevertheless, despite the support of numerous parliamentarians and other notable figures, they have not yet heard from the government.
