Congress claims tribal students held at Mumbai HQ; police deny
The Congress on Monday, October 5, alleged that police entered its Maharashtra headquarters, Tilak Bhawan, in Mumbai after midnight and detained tribal students and NSUI members who were staying there after travelling from Nashik to protest their demands.
The Mumbai Police denied that anyone was arrested from the Congress office, saying protesters who had planned to march to Lok Bhawan, the governor's residence, were being detained at different locations and that legal action was being taken.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Manish Kalwaniya said, "No one was arrested from Tilak Bhawan as is being claimed."
State Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal alleged that tribal students who had travelled from Nashik to Mumbai to protest at Azad Maidan stayed overnight at Tilak Bhawan in Dadar.
He claimed police personnel entered the party headquarters during the night, threatened the students and took some of them into custody.
Sapkal also claimed that NSUI state president Sagar Salunkhe and the Mumbai head of the Congress' youth wing were arrested.
"Police entering the Congress headquarters in such an illegal manner and taking action against the students is a sign of high-handedness. The arrested tribal students and NSUI office-bearers should be released immediately," Sapkal said.
He warned that Congress leaders from across Maharashtra would gherao Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' official residence, 'Varsha', if the students were not released.
According to the Congress, the tribal students have been protesting for more than 10 days over demands related to the tribal development department, including scholarships and basic amenities at ashram schools and hostels.
The party said several students travelled to Mumbai by bus and on foot and were seeking the resignation of the tribal development minister and the department's commissioner over the alleged failure to address their concerns.
The Congress further alleged that the students were threatened with police cases and that a bus carrying them was taken into custody.
It claimed that Mumbai Police stopped the students around 3 am, photographed them and apprehended some of them.
Sapkal said the Congress would oppose any attempt to suppress the students' demands and maintained that the party stood with them in their "fight for their legitimate rights".
The Congress also accused the police of using force instead of addressing the students' demands and described the alleged action as an attempt to suppress democratic values.
The police, however, maintained that the protesters who had planned to march to Lok Bhawan were being detained from different locations and reiterated that no one had been arrested from Tilak Bhawan.
Inputs from PTI
