BHIM Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad.BHIM Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad on Friday alleged that the Mumbai Police has detained him in a hotel room in suburban Mumbai. Azad is in the city to attend a cultural event and a rally at Jambori Maidan in Worli on Saturday. The police, however, denied he has been detained.
Leaders from the Maharashtra unit of Bhim Army said the police did not allow Azad and his supporters to leave the hotel to meet mediapersons. “Police vehicles have been called to arrest us. Why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi trying to destroy Constitutional rights? Don’t we have freedom of speech? We will not tolerate this,” said Azad, who is visiting the city for the first time.
According to the Bhim Army, it has received permission from the PWD to hold the rally and event in Worli. “Since the land belongs to the PWD, we have paid the fees and got permission to hold the event. Then, we approached the police for permission but they denied it citing law and order,” said Ashok Kamble, state president of Bhim Army.
The police claimed the organisers had been denied permission by the PWD. “Only cultural programmes can be held at the ground… We then asked them to shift their rally to Shanmukhanand Hall but they are not interested in an indoor venue,” said a senior police officer.
Kamble said they will hold the event at Worli despite police denying permission. “It is not a political rally or event.
The Bhim Army is a social organisation and is having a cultural event,” he added. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemned Azad’s detention and demanded his immediate release.
