Shruti Suman
Tushar Gandhi has claimed that he was detained by the police before the Quit India Day march. Tushar Gandhi, who is a writer and the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, along with activist Teesta Setalvad, were reportedly prevented by the police from participating in a protest march in Mumbai today. The organizers of the event have alleged that Mr. Gandhi was taken into custody and brought to Santacruz Police station, while Ms. Setalvad was advised to stay indoors. The statement from the organizers also mentioned that a freedom fighter named Dr. GG Parikh, who is now 99 years old, was also prevented from joining the protest.
The protest, which was organized on the anniversary of the Quit India Movement against British rule in 1942, was called the “Shanti March,” which translates to “peace march.” A poster for the protest bore the message, “nafraton Bharat chodo, mohabbat se dilon ko jodo” (Hate, leave India, let’s unite hearts with love). The march was planned to go from Girgaon Chowpatty to August Kranti Maidan.
Early in the morning, Tushar Gandhi posted on X (twitter) that “For the first time in the history of Independent India, I have been detained at Santa Cruz Police Station as I left home to commemorate 9th August that is Quit India Day. I am proud that my great grandparents Bapu and Ba were also arrested by the British Police on this historic date (sic).”
In another post, he mentioned that a group of about 20 police officers had been stationed outside his home to prevent him from joining the march. Later, around 10 am, he again made a statement that he had been allowed to leave the police station and was on his way to August Kranti Maidan.
In a subsequent post, he recounted an incident where a Muslim taxi driver initially refused to give him a ride due to fear. He wrote, “Fear in our society is so palpable, I got into a rickshaw at Santa Cruz Police Station after I was allowed to go. When we reached Bandra, I hailed an elderly Muslim taxi driver to take me to August Kranti Maidan. He saw the police car and panicked, telling me, ‘Saab mujhe nahin fasna’ (Sir, I don’t want to get into trouble). It took a lot of convincing to reassure him. This is the problem afflicting our society today, and that’s why,” he added.
The organizers criticized the government, particularly the BJP-backed Eknath Shinde government, stating that their advertisement did not even mention the Quit India Movement. They alleged that the BJP-RSS were attempting to manipulate and distort the history of the freedom struggle.
The organizers further claimed that around 50 activists were being held at DB Marg police station and would only be released after the event concluded.
They emphasized that they hold this march annually to commemorate the anniversary of the Quit India Movement. The organizers’ statement concluded, “This unprecedented crackdown on our independence movement’s historic day has only reinforced our determination to continue resisting this assault on our democratic and constitutional rights. On this day, we pledge to uphold the traditions of our freedom struggle and persist in safeguarding our nation and our people.”
