The Delhi Police on Saturday, 23 May, arrested two members of women’s student organisation – Pinjra Tod – for their alleged role in the anti-CAA protest in Delhi’s Jafrabad. The sit-in protest took place in February 2020.
The two activists – Devangana Kalita (30) and Natasha Narwal (32) – are students of Jawaharlal Nehru University and were reportedly arrested from their homes, around 6:00 pm on Saturday.
Pinjra Tod was formed in 2015, primarily to oppose the hostel curfews imposed by Delhi colleges.
“They were arrested from their homes in an FIR registered by Jafrabad police station, after interrogation by the Special Cell… Police did not give reasons to their families for their arrest,” the organisation claimed, in a statement on Facebook.
“Many students and activists have been arrested by Delhi Police in the last few months. We strongly condemn the witch hunt of democratic activists and students being carried out by the state and appeal to the student community and democratic-minded citizens to remain vigilant … in our struggles in face of this repression,” the organisation added.
Kalita is an MPhil student at the Centre for Women’s Studies, while Narwal is a PhD student at the Centre for Historical Studies.
Students Islamic Organisation Issues Statement
The Students Islamic Organisation of India issued a statement condemning the action by Delhi Police, terming it “just another episode of the continuing witch hunt of the Delhi police against the student activists”.
According to the statement, the Delhi Police have been specifically targeting student activists, especially from Jamia Millia Islamia and have now turned their attention to another university.
Adding that “instead of enquiring about the real conspiracy behind the violence by the right wing forces, police is simply using it as an opportunity to suppress the dissenting voices”, the organisation has demanded the unconditional release of the two activists, as well as all “political prisoners” who were arrested in relation to the CAA/NRC protests.
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