The Delhi Police refused to give permission to Jignesh Mevani for conducting a youth hunkar rally.
Highlights
- Jignesh Mevani holds Youth Hunkar rally in Delhi despite no permission
- At the rally, he took a dig at the BJP and right wing activists
- The rally, held on Parliament Street, saw a modest turnout
Dalit leader and Gujarat lawmaker Jignesh Mevani today took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally in Delhi, which was held amid heavy police presence. The police had denied permission for the Youth Hunkar rally and as the organisers decided to proceed with it, deployed nearly 15,000 personnel - armed with water cannons and tear gas -- at the heart of the national capital. Calling the situation "unfortunate", Mr Mevani said the government was "targeting" him. Last week, a case was filed against the 37-year-old lawyer activist following the caste clashes near Pune that spread and affected the parts of Maharashtra for three days.
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Jignesh Mewani said the Narendra Modi government poses a "threat" to the country's democracy and Constitution and termed the refusal to grant permission to his rally an example of the "Gujarat model" of politics.
He also took a dig at the BJP and the right wing activists. "We believe in India's polity. We are not love jihad guys. We're pyaar ishq muhabbat guys. We will celebrate 14th February (Valentines' Day)," Jignesh Mevani said to huge cheers from the audience.
The rally, which began around 1 pm just metres away from the Parliament Street police station, witnessed a modest turnout. Mr Mevani shared stage with JNU student leaders, including Kanhaiya Kumar, Shehla Rashid and Umar Khalid. Assam's farmer leader Akhil Gogoi and senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan also attended the rally.
The Delhi Police posted troops across Jantar Mantar -- the designated area of protest in the capital till it was banned by the Green Court -- and Parliament Street, where the protest is expected to be held. Extra troops have been called in from the neighbouring districts.
Ahead of today's rally, Mr Mevani had announced his intention to visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Office. At a press conference on Friday, he had said that he intended to knock at the PM's door with two books, the Manusmriti and the Constitution, "and ask him what he chooses".
The Delhi Police refused permission for the rally this morning, have cited a green court order that bans protests in the heart of the city. "Since there is an NGT (National Green Tribunal) order that no protest can be staged at Jantar Mantar, we have asked organisers to hold the protest at alternate sites like Ramlila Maidan," senior police officer Ajay Chaudhary said.
The protesters say they demand the release of Chandrashekhar Azad, the founder of the Dalit group Bhim Army, employment to the youth, stopping discrimination against Dalits and allow minority groups to protest.
Mr Mevani has been accused of inciting the recent caste clashes at Bhima-Koregaon near Pune, which spread across the next day. Last week, a case was filed against him by the Pune police, which accused him of spreading enmity among castes.
The clashes, which cost a life, had started at Bhima Koregaon, where the Dalits traditionally celebrate the victory of a British regiment, said to comprise Dalits, against the army of the Peshwa, the Maratha Brahmin ruler. Mr Mevani had attended a function in the area the day before.
Chandrashekhar Azad was arrested last June over the caste clashes in Saharanpur, in which two persons died and at least 20 were injured. Around 40 people were arrested after the month-long clashes. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had called the clashes the result of a "well-planned conspiracy".
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