Defying the Delhi Police’s refusal to give permission for his rally, Jignesh Mevani, the newly-elected MLA from Gujarat’s Vadgam, went ahead with his ‘Yuva Hunkar Rally’ at Parliament Street on Tuesday. Mr. Mevani also termed the denial of permission by the police as the “Gujarat model” of politics.
The rally, which began around 1 p.m., was attended by around 300 people. The police, armed with tear gas and water cannons, paramilitary and 12 companies of police personnel, turned Parliament Street into a fortress.
Roads congested
Many vehicles had to be diverted to alternate routes due to the really and the traffic remained congested near the area. The traffic situation returned to normal after 5 p.m. To avoid any law and order situation, the roads to the Prime Minister’s residence was also blocked, said the police.
The rally was attended by JNU leaders Kanhaiya Kumar, Shehla Rashid and Umar Khalid, activist Prashant Bhushan, Swami Agnivesh and Assam farmers’ leader Akhil Gogoi, apart from students from JNU, Delhi University, Lucknow University and Allahabad University.
No permission
The organisers of the rally, which witnessed a modest turnout, accused the police and the media of creating confusion about the event, leading to low attendance. A senior Delhi Police officer, however, said no official permission was given for the rally but it was allowed in view of maintaining peace. The organisers agreed to the terms and condition set by the police in return for allowing them to hold a public meeting with a limited number of people.
“No formal permission was given for the rally but it was allowed in view of peace. We wanted to maintain law and order so the rally took place amid heavy deployment of police,” said the police officer.
The gathering also raised slogans against some TV channels and booed a reporter. The police had to intervene to resolve the situation. Policemen in civil dress were also deployed at the rally. All participants dispersed peacefully after the rally, the police said.
