Twenty-two students affiliated with the All India Students' Federation (AISF), travelling from Pune to Delhi to attend a protest at Jantar Mantar, were allegedly detained by Madhya Pradesh Police and railway police at Itarsi railway station on October 8, the organisation said.
The Maharashtra State Council of AISF alleged that police personnel dragged and beat the students before taking them into custody. The organisation also claimed that authorities had attempted to stop the group earlier at Bhusawal railway station in Maharashtra.
The students were travelling to participate in a demonstration scheduled for October 10 against the revision of electoral rolls and to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The protest has been called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), with AISF and other student and political organisations supporting the mobilisation.
AISF identified Shravani Buva, its Pune coordinator, and Preeti Londhe, a member of its Pune committee, among those allegedly detained. The organisation initially said it had not received official information about the students' whereabouts and that their phones were switched off. It demanded their immediate release and an inquiry into the alleged assault.
A report by The Times of India on October 9, however, said 14 women AISF members had been taken to a local hotel and kept in a banquet hall with restricted access. The hotel's general manager confirmed to the newspaper that the women had arrived between 6 pm and 7 pm and that food and water had been provided on the authorities' instructions.
There has been no response from Madhya Pradesh Police or railway police addressing the specific allegations of assault and detention had been reported.
Protest against electoral roll revision
The October 10 demonstration forms part of a series of protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the Election Commission of India's handling of the exercise. Protesters have alleged that eligible voters risk being removed from electoral rolls and have questioned the transparency of the process. They have also demanded that Gyanesh Kumar resign as chief election commissioner.
The Election Commission has defended electoral roll revision as a process intended to remove duplicate, deceased and otherwise ineligible entries. The protesters' allegations of deliberate disenfranchisement remain contested.
The CJP and student organisations had informed Delhi Police about their proposed demonstration. Police denied permission for the October 10 protest.
Police restrictions extend beyond Delhi
The alleged detention at Itarsi comes amid wider efforts by police to prevent activists from travelling to the capital for the demonstration.
In Maharashtra, activists and prospective protesters told The Indian Express that police had contacted them about their travel plans, visited their homes and, in some instances, sought written assurances that they would not attend the protest. A Maharashtra Director General of Police office official acknowledged that notices had been issued in some cases but denied that detentions had taken place within the state. The official cited preventive policing powers under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
An AISF member from Pune told that police attempted to detain students at Bhusawal railway station. The group resisted and continued its journey, although some students were subsequently reported detained at Itarsi.
In Delhi, police prepared a wider security operation ahead of October 10. It is reported that authorities had established 37 blocking points across the New Delhi district and designated detention centres across all 15 districts. Police said the arrangements were intended to maintain public order and prevent disruption.
The wider operation has drawn criticism from activists who say the restrictions are preventing people from exercising their right to peaceful assembly. The police, meanwhile, have cited public-order concerns and the need to manage the anticipated gathering.
AISF has demanded the immediate release of the students and an inquiry into the alleged assault. The organisation has also sought information about their whereabouts. Madhya Pradesh Police and railway police had not publicly responded to the specific allegations in the reports available as of October 9.
