Maharashtra Congress alleges detention of tribal students bound for protest
The Maharashtra Congress has alleged that police stopped and detained tribal students travelling to Mumbai for a protest over scholarships, facilities in ashram schools and hostels. The party also accused police of entering its office and threatening students, while demanding an end to what it described as unlawful action.
The Maharashtra Congress has alleged that police stopped and detained tribal students who travelled to Mumbai to stage a protest at Azad Maidan, where they planned to demand the resignation of the State’s tribal development minister. In a statement, the Opposition party said the students were stopped early on Monday and that a bus carrying some of them was taken into custody. It alleged that police photographed and detained students at about 3 a.m.
and threatened them with criminal cases. The Congress said the students had been protesting for more than 10 days over demands involving scholarships, basic amenities in ashram schools and hostel facilities. According to the party, students travelled to Mumbai by bus and on foot to seek action against the tribal development minister and the department’s commissioner.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal separately alleged that police used force and tried to enter the party’s Tilak Bhavan office, where tribal students from Nashik were staying after walking to Mumbai. Sapkal claimed that police personnel had been entering the office since midnight, threatening students and attempting to take them into custody. He demanded that the alleged entry and efforts to detain the students stop immediately.
The Congress condemned what it described as an attempt to suppress a peaceful and democratic protest. It said threatening students and using police force instead of addressing their concerns undermined democratic values. The party said it would support the students’ demands and would not allow their voices to be suppressed.
The supplied account contains no response from the police or the Maharashtra government to the allegations.
Vertrix News compared the attributed reports listed below and wrote this independent synthesis. Claims remain attributed where independent verification was unavailable.