Police prevent protest over UGC equity rules at Ramlila Maidan

According to police, the demonstrators gathered for the protest without due permission after their March 6 request to stage a protest at Jantar Mantar had been denied over law and order concerns.

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police briefly detained around 120 demonstrators on Sunday morning when they tried to protest the University Grants Commission (UGC) equity regulations at Ramlila Maidan, officials said.

A senior police officer said the detainees were taken to the city’s outskirts and later released in the evening. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

A senior police officer said the detainees were taken to the city’s outskirts and later released in the evening.

According to police, the demonstrators gathered for the protest without due permission after their March 6 request to stage a protest at Jantar Mantar had been denied over law and order concerns.

On Sunday, when the protesters began their demonstration without permission, police personnel in the area intervened and detained them. “People had started gathering at the spot since Saturday night. On Sunday, around 120 people were detained. Police personnel were already deployed in large numbers to manage the situation. Some of the demonstrators were aware that there was no permission while others were not. Many of them left without creating a ruckus,” a police officer said.

The officer said the detainees were put into several buses, taken to locations in the outer parts of Delhi, and then released.

Meanwhile, the demonstrators told the media that the protest was organised to raise objections to the proposed UGC rules and alleged that the detentions were unnecessary because the demonstration was meant to be peaceful.

Activists took to social media, claiming police visited their houses to ensure they did not join the protest.

The Delhi Police did not comment on the matter.