A group of 100 Harvard University alumni, students, faculty members and staff have condemned the Delhi Police action against protesters during a demonstration called by Coakroach Janta Party (CJP) in the national capital on October 10, alleging police brutality, unlawful detention and violations of constitutional rights.
In a statement, the signatories expressed concern over what they described as an unprecedented siege of Delhi by police and paramilitary forces and arbitrary, illegal and unconstitutional action against peaceful protesters across the country.
"We strongly condemn police brutality, unlawful detention, and violations of constitutional rights of all peaceful protestors," the statement said.
The signatories expressed solidarity with peaceful protesters “exercising their constitutional rights” and commended those who supported people affected by the detentions and the accompanying violence.
"We call upon the government and all law enforcement authorities to immediately cease and desist from all violations of constitutional rights, respect rights to peaceful protest and access to legal assistance, and ensure that those responsible for abuses are held accountable in accordance with the rule of law," the statement said.
The Harvard community also expressed solidarity with senior advocate and Harvard Law School alumnus Shadan Farasat, who they said was manhandled by police while trying to prevent a peaceful protester’s detention, and Mehr Pasricha, associated with the Harvard Kennedy School, who was detained despite not being at a protest site.
According to the statement, Farasat was allegedly manhandled while rushing to prevent what the signatories described as the illegal detention of a peaceful protester. The signatories said preventing lawyers from providing legal assistance undermines the functioning of the law-and-order system.
Pasricha, meanwhile, was allegedly detained while peacefully eating breakfast at the Laxmi Nagar market. The statement said she was held for 13 hours without being given any paperwork or grounds for her detention throughout the period.
The protests on October 10 were called by the CJP and several student organisations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission.
The government thwarted the mass mobilisation at Jantar Mantar through a major security clampdown. More than 7,000 protesters were detained, including CJP leader Abhijit Dipke, several Opposition leaders and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee.
Traffic movement was restricted, nearly 45 metro stations were shut, and several trains originating from or terminating in Delhi were cancelled.
Protesters were dragged, pushed into buses and taken to more than 30 designated detention centres. Several detainees alleged that they were assaulted and subjected to high-handed treatment while in custody.
The demonstrations continued on Sunday, with around 200 students and protesters detained as they raised slogans and marched towards Jantar Mantar.
The Harvard-affiliated signatories, meanwhile, called for the protection of constitutional rights, the right to peaceful protest and access to legal assistance. They also demanded accountability for those responsible for alleged abuses, invoking the rule of law as the standard for addressing the incidents.
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