AISF alleges 22 students travelling to Delhi for protest detained at Itarsi railway station

The Maharashtra State Council of the All India Students Federation (AISF) has alleged that 22 students travelling from Pune to Delhi to attend a protest at Jantar Mantar were detained by Madhya Pradesh Police and Railway Police at Itarsi railway station.

In a press statement, AISF said students from different parts of Maharashtra had set out for the national capital to participate in the demonstration scheduled for October 10. The organisation alleged that the students travelling from Pune were stopped and detained at Itarsi. 

According to the organisation, police personnel dragged and beat the students before detaining them at the railway station. AISF also claimed that authorities had attempted to detain the activists earlier at Bhusawal railway station while they were travelling to Delhi.

The organisation alleged that the students' whereabouts remained unknown after the detention. It said neither AISF representatives nor the students' families had received information about where they were being held. The students' mobile phones were reportedly switched off, adding to the concern among their families and fellow activists.

AISF identified Shravani Buva, the federation's Pune coordinator, and Preeti Londhe, a member of its Pune committee, among the students allegedly detained. The organisation said a total of 22 students had been taken into custody.

The Maharashtra State Council condemned the alleged action and demanded that the authorities disclose the whereabouts of all the students without delay. It also called for their immediate release and sought a fair investigation into allegations that they had been beaten and mistreated.

AISF said students should be able to travel to Delhi to participate in a protest through democratic means and called for accountability over the alleged detention and lack of information about the students' whereabouts.

The allegations were made by AISF in its press statement. The statement did not include a response from Madhya Pradesh Police or Railway Police.