At least 14 students from Pune were detained by the Madhya Pradesh Government Railway Police (GRP) at Itarsi on Friday. The students were travelling to Delhi aboard the Goa Express to participate in a demonstration organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar, which was scheduled for Saturday. The protesters are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the electoral roll revision process.
According to members of the All India Students Federation (AISF), a contingent of roughly 25 to 30 students departed from Pune early Friday morning. Advocate Namokar More, who was on the train, stated that plainclothes personnel identified specific students who had posted about the protest on social media. After an initial attempt to deboard the group at Bhusawal was resisted by the students, the GRP successfully detained them at Itarsi. The detained individuals, including members of the AISF, New Students and Youth Federation, and the RRR campaign, were subsequently taken to The Park Club and Resort.
Following the detention, a legal team acting on behalf of the students’ families filed a habeas corpus petition with the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The petition challenged the legality of the detention, as students reported being held without a clear explanation, with officials allegedly citing orders from the Home Ministry. On Friday, the High Court issued notices to the state and police authorities, directing them to produce the students before the court on or before October 13. The court also mandated that officials ensure the students' safe return to their families.
While these students were detained, some others from the same group reportedly reached Delhi safely after travelling in different coaches. Viral videos circulating on social media show police removing students from the train. Both the CJP and AISF have issued public statements condemning the police action, labelling the move as an attempt to suppress peaceful dissent before the protest had even commenced.
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