Delhi Police officials on Saturday said they would not allow the Sansad Chalo march to Parliament called by the Sarwar Janata Party (CJP) on Monday morning, terming the entire ongoing hunger strike at Jantar Mantar an “illegal” protest for which a fresh permit has not been sought.
Senior officers said the march would be stopped on the grounds that it would disturb law and order in a high-security area, endanger public safety and choke traffic in central Delhi. They said that arrests would be made if a large gathering rushed towards Parliament.
“The Justice and Development Party continues to protest without a permit.”
A senior police officer familiar with the matter, who did not wish to be named, said the CJP was given permission for just one day at Jantar Mantar, had signed undertakings to that effect, and then extended the protest without permission. “CJP spokesperson Abhijit Deepki never informed us and did not apply for permission for the Sansad Chalo march. It is a completely illegal protest as they got permission for only one day. We even made them sign undertakings. Now, they have extended it without any permission. Also, for the march, we only approached them but they did not even apply for permission,” the officer said.
CJP spokesperson Vaishnavi Gaur disputed this account. “We informed them about the march on the way back. They know very well about the march and our plans. In any case, they will not let us do it,” she told HT, adding that it was done in person only and not in writing.
Tight security at Jantar Mantar
Police deployed more than 100 personnel, along with Rapid Action Force units, on both sides of the Jantar Mantar site and inside the protest area. Officers said 200 personnel would be deployed on Saturday and Sunday, and additional units and paramilitary forces would be called in to participate in a march on Monday. Additional police vehicles were also deployed around the site. The crowd at Jantar Mantar swelled from about 500 to 800 during the day, they said.
Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk, on an indefinite hunger strike for 21 days over national examination irregularities including NEET-UG paper leaks, was forcibly removed from the site early Saturday and taken to Safdarjung Hospital, sparking an uproar in which supporters were charged and Debki was briefly detained.
Wangchuk was transferred on the orders of the Delhi High Court and on expert medical advice, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma said in a statement, asking protesters at Jantar Mantar to “vacate the place peacefully as soon as possible.”
Police reject CJP’s claims of assault
Another senior officer with knowledge of the matter, who requested to remain anonymous, rejected the AKP’s allegations of assault and cutting off electricity supplies to the site. “We did not attack or beat them. We did not even cut off the electricity. All their claims are false. We only took Sonam on the advice of the doctor who told us that he was suffering from severe dehydration… The police teams acted in a professional manner and shifted him to Safdarjung Hospital. We are still monitoring his health condition. We have helped other students, who also fell ill,” the officer said.
One of the officials cited above said that new Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar held several meetings with senior officers regarding the protest, after which they formulated a plan to take Wangchuk to hospital. “Two such meetings were held on Friday about the protest. They discussed the routines of the different spokesperson sitting on stage with Debki. Around midnight, the SHO of New Delhi district was called by the DCP in the name of a security exercise. On Saturday, around 2-3 am, district staff showed up and found that they were tasked with removing Wangchuk. Seniors formed teams and directed them to remove Wangchuk and ‘rush’ him to an ambulance in seconds.”
