Six student activists from Delhi University were booked for unlawful protests and not following social distancing norms on Wednesday by holding a demonstration at Delhi University’s Faculty of Arts while demanding the release of DU professor Hany Babu who was arrested last month in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case.
Babu, a 54-year-old associate professor of English, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency in Mumbai on July 28.
“Students’ Federation of India (SFI) along with other progressive organisations protested at Arts Faculty, Delhi University demanding the release of Professor Hany Babu.The peaceful protest was met with severe hostility by Delhi Police. Students are being curbed from exercising their democratic right to protest,” SFI said in a statement.
But police said around 10-12 students gathered at Arts Faculty on Wednesday afternoon to protest and were told that this was not allowed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
“The students kept on protesting despite several requests and have been apprehended for violation of order under section 144 CrPC. A case under section 188 of Indian Penal Code, 3 Epidemic Disease Act and 51/57 DM Act is being registered against them,” deputy commissioner of police (north) Monika Bhardwaj said.