Events @ October 22: Delhi Policemen and the Civils Protest

Morning 9 am, the hungerstrikers gathered at Jantar Mantar amidst full enthusiasm for their fast unto death, a step ahead to their relay hungerstrike going on since September 4. The authorities took no special interest. Students kept on gathering as they waited for the arrival of Mr. Ram Bahadur Roy, an eminent journalist of JP Andolan fame, who came at 4 pm to encourage the students. Due to health constrainsts he couldn't stay for long but promised that he shall be there tomorrow as well. Importantly what he said was, Those who think that they will let themselves away with doing injustice to these students must know the fact that the conscience in India is not crippled enough to allow them go their way.

Guhaar Guys Put on a Hungerstrike :) BRAVO

 

Then there was an editor from a local daily Aap ki Aawaz of Patiala, Punjab, Mr. Garg who motivated students in their fight for justice and assured them of whatever help he could do in creating mass awareness about the issue.

Friend from Holland Frode and Ms. Roshni Basu from the Asia Film Society, Noida who were planning to make a documentary on us, also visited and stayed there till the end taking views of everyone regarding the issue.



At 6 pm the first warning from the policeman on patrol came: You should leave or we shall take.

He was taken aback by the reply: Ok take us.

Then he called his senior some DSP with rest of the policemen in jeep to assist him who told the students the futility of protesting and we should protest anywhere else. He explained to us the Section 144 of IPC in place at Jantar Mantar, that we cant stay there after 5 pm. The hungerstrikers requested him to suggest alternate place. Our response was: We shall pursue hungerstrike in Jail.
 

IAS Aspirants on fast unto death



He went quite amazed and then after half an hour sent his sub-ordinate who could speak in a rude tone and ask us, "Ab tum log maante to ho nahi, khud jaoge yaa utha ke leke jaaye". Our response was where to go. The bus of Police came at 8:15 pm to pick the hungerstrikers up. We requested them some grace minutes for some mediamen were due to arrive. They didnt come. Aajtak, NDTV, TV9, all cheated us perfectly well. Then at 8:40 hungerstrikers picked up their bags, placards and rug, placed them in the bus and on the top of bus and sat inside the bus and asked the police driver to start, to the utter amazement of all.

Alongwith 10 of hungerstrikers group, Bapu (Mr. Mahesh Chaturvedi) and a local BJP leader from Bihar also accompanied to jail. The two girls in the group were requested not to accompany to police station, and they boarded train from the nearby Patel Chowk metro station.

At the police station, the hungerstrikers were asked to leave at 10 pm. Their reply was: we shall be putting up back at Jantar Mantar, no home for us, until our lost dignity due to the corruption in exam is restored to us. You may keep us here itself.



Drenched in Rain: Fast unto Death resumes



The policemen were quite confused. They didnt know so much enthusiastic are students for getting arrested, as was Bhagat Singh during freedom struggle. Rang De Basanti movie has always been a favourite. The police tried new gimmick: "We wont be keeping you here till long, because you are protesting against the government organization you may be shifted to Tihar jail." This was their reply to some of the guys who later came at the call of conscience from Mukherji Magar to gave voluntary arrest.

Tomorrow morning the team on hungerstrike shall get released from Police Station and shall be back at Jantar Mantar for their fast unto DEATH.



Policemen taking the IAS aspirants in their bus