Students, youth protesting against hate speech detained, released

Students, youth and concerned citizens protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi this evening against the communally charged slogans by some leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other Hindutva organisations two days ago.

Among the organisations that gave the call for today’s protest against hate speeches were Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students’ Association (AISA). Some journalists also participated in today’s protest, seeking peace among different communities.

The police detained a large number of the protestors on the grounds that they had violated Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code prohibiting assembly of people.

Later, more people protested outside the police station demanding the release of those detained for demanding an end to hate speech and for prevalence of peace in the capital and the country.

The police have now released all the protestors who were detained.

Sumit Kataria, Delhi SFI President says that “we were brutally dragged by the police a few minutes after they began protesting against genocidal slogans raised against Muslims at Jantar Mantar earlier”