Police personnel detain protesters at Lal Mahal Chowk in Pune on Saturday
Pune: Police on Saturday detained 92 people from different parts of the city for allegedly trying to take out a rally without permission demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and revocation of SIR of electoral rolls, and released all of them after a few hours. Deputy commissioner of police (Zone I) Krushikesh Rawale said, “A total of 85 protesters were detained from the Lal Mahal area (near Shaniwarwada) and taken to Cantonment police station. The 85 people, including youths belonging to various political and social groups, detained from the Lal Mahal area had tried to assemble at Shaniwarwada in the afternoon. A citizens’ protest with similar demands would be held near the passport office on Baner-Pashan Link Road around 11.30am on Sunday.
Because the freedom to dissent is the sign of a healthy democracy and I want to save it, sangpraksh Kamble, a Fergusson College student protesting outside Cantonment police station, said, “I have come.
“We released the 92 protesters later in the evening,” said deputy commissioner of police (Zone II) Rajlaxmi Shivankar. Protesting peacefully is our democratic right and nobody can deny it to us,” said Sameer Uttarkar, the coordinator of the demonstration. Seven other protesters detained from other parts of the city were also taken to Cantonment police station. But several people maintained that peaceful protest was their constitutional right in a democracy. They had planned to march to the collector’s office. The detainees were taken to Cantonment police station. A large number of people gathered in front of Cantonment police station and raised slogans demanding release of the detainees. The detainees continued with their protest inside the police station. I don’t belong to any political party or outfit, but I feel the entire process of SIR has been wrong, and I want it to be revoked. “Police have denied permission, but we will go ahead with the protest.
Pune city police earlier denied permission to protest near Shaniwarwada.