New Delhi: “I’m here for college admission,” Faizi (20) protested, holding up a folder stuffed with marksheets and other papers to prove he was a Jamia Millia Islamia student, as three Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel closed in on him. One seized his wrist, another reached for his shirt’s collar, while the third blocked his path from the front.It was around 3.30pm at Connaught Place. Bystanders and protesters stood along the boundary of Palika Bazaar as police personnel arrived in batches and formed a human chain. As the protesters began dispersing after some time, RAF personnel fell into step alongside them.Just as the situation appeared to settle, the pace quickened. The blue-uniformed personnel closed in on faces they appeared to recognise from the demonstration that had ended minutes earlier, grabbing people who seemed to be walking away. “Arey, main toh aapke saath hi wapas ja raha tha,” a protester told policemen escorting him towards a bus stationed in front of Regal Theatre.The action followed a protest call by AISA activist Neha Bora. Within minutes of the demonstration beginning, hundreds of police personnel moved towards the protesters, pinning some to the ground before escorting them to waiting buses. Those who managed to break free were pursued towards Baba Khadak Singh Marg intersection, with baton-wielding personnel weaving their way through the Sunday throng.Near Jeevan Bharti building, which houses LIC offices, more security personnel assembled around Palika Bazaar, whose circumference had been cordoned off with police tape. Teams fanned out towards intersections and lanes leading to the underground market, stopping people suspected of trying to join the demonstration.A man filming the detentions on his phone was caught off guard when four to five policemen tackled him from behind. They pulled him by his shirt collar, sending his phone tumbling into a drain, before carrying him away.The cops split into smaller teams in search of protesters as far as Indira Chowk. In one such sweep, parody-video creator Ramit Verma was detained from a far corner of Palika Bazaar. Ten to 20 CRPF personnel surrounded him and bundled him into a bus, despite media persons intervening to say he was a content creator and not part of the protest.Several protesters alleged that police were not checking media credentials and were detaining people suspected of participating in the demonstration, including those who pleaded with them that they were merely bystanders. Stationed at the entry of Rajiv Chowk metro station, cops were seen barking at people, “Andar jao na agar metro use karna hai, bahar kya kar rahe ho?”Amid the detentions, some people were seen confronting the protesters over the demonstrations, which they believed were based on a concocted allegation against Election Commission. One of them, Ravi Kumar (39), wondered aloud, “Why are they on the streets when Section 163 of BNSS has already been imposed?” Before he could say more, women constables approached reporters interacting with him and said, “No video allowed.”
