Kanhaiya denied entry into state Council

MUMBAI: In yet another confrontation with the ruling dispensation, Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar said that he was denied entry

MUMBAI: In yet another confrontation with the ruling dispensation, Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar said that he was denied entry to the Maharashtra Legislative Council despite having two valid passes on Tuesday.

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Though Kumar was allowed to enter the premises, he was confined to the police chowky at Vidhan Bhavan.

Kumar, whose entry passes were valid from 12 noon to 1pm, said he had come to Vidhan Bhavan to watch the live proceedings of the Council over the Vidarbha issue, but security officials did not allow him.

On his third visit to the state this year, the student leader was accompanied by eight colleagues.

Talking to reporters from Vidhan Bhavan, Kumar said, “As per the rules, I have a gallery pass that is needed to enter the Upper House. Despite this, I was denied the permission.”

“I am also a citizen of this country and have the right to know why I was denied entry,” he said. Shashikant Borate, deputy commissioner of police and chief security officer of the Vidhan Bhavan, clarified that the visitor’s pass normally lapses after an hour of issuance.

“Kanhaiya’s gallery pass was valid between 12 noon and 1pm. When he entered the premises at around 12.30pm, Council proceedings had already been adjourned for half-an-hour.

The adjournment was later extended for another half-an-hour, and he was not allowed to attend the House discussion,” Borate told HT.

The opposition has termed this move as undemocratic while Peasants and Workers Party of India (PWP), which has invited Kumar to Mumbai, raised strong objection on the issue.

PWP leader Jayant Patil said, “I don’t understand why he was denied entry and why these people (the state government) are afraid of him when he is fighting for the rights of the poor.”