Maha Police Track Protesters Moves, Detain Activists

Days before the nationwide protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on October 10. Activists and would-be protesters in Maharashtra have alleged that police tracked their movements. Sought their travel plans, and, in some cases, detained them and told them to stay away.

Police personnel visited the homes of several individuals, including creative strategist Sadaf Raza Zaidi, to inquire about their plans for October 10. Zaidi, who was detained during a protest in July, believes she was targeted because of her previous involvement. When the NEET protest happened in July, I was detained.

I guess they have been tracking people who were detained during the last protest, she stated.

Civil society group Hum Bharat Ke Log alleged that MIDC police detained activists Feroze Mithiborwala and Salim Saboowala. Mithiborwala reported that he had faced repeated summonses and harassment since October 2. He was detained for two hours and asked not to attend the October 10 protest.

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With police also informing him that they could not meet his wife in Pune, citing it as an illegal activity.

Mayur Sharma, a Thane-based member of the All India Students' Federation (AISF), received multiple calls from police officials in Mumbai and Delhi about his travel plans. Initially, he was contacted by a woman seeking to join him with her group. This was unusual given that only a few friends were planning to travel together.

Sharma suspected the callers were police officers and changed his plans, boarding a train at Borivali to avoid potential detention. He then received another call from Delhi railway police officers. Who sought details of his travel journey. Citing information from Mumbai RPF that he was taking a group of 25 persons to Delhi.

Sharma altered his route, getting off the train near Faridabad instead of heading to Hazrat Nizamuddin station. There, he feared police officers would be waiting. He took the Metro into Delhi to avoid potential detention.

The SHO of Nizamuddin police officers officers station confirmed that police officers had contacted some members. Stating it was to maintain law and order. We are maintaining an order situation, he said.

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Despite the police's claims of maintaining law and order, activists and would-be protesters in Maharashtra continue to express concerns about their safety and freedom of movement. With many fearing the police's actions may infringe upon their rights.

As the protest approaches, activists are urging the government to take steps to ensure their safety and protect their right to peaceful assembly. The police's actions have raised questions about the extent of their surveillance and control over citizens.

The fate of the Cockroach Janata Party's protest and the impact of the police's actions on the country's democratic fabric remain to be seen.