Several demonstrators were detained by Delhi Police on Saturday after assembling at Jantar Mantar to protest, as tight security measures and extensive barricading remained in place across the national capital.
Asked about transport restrictions and the difficulties faced by other demonstrators trying to reach the protest site, she acknowledged her privilege in being able to travel there. She also said her 60-year-old mother had encouraged her to join the agitation. Entry points to the national capital were cordoned off, while 46 metro stations remained closed as police sought to prevent a recurrence of incidents similar to those reported during the July 20 protests.
Stressing the importance of constitutional rights, she added, “The Constitution is a contract, and we signed it from both sides. Yesterday morning, for the first time, I woke up and the first thing my mother said to me was, ‘I want to go to protest. Perhaps today, I have come for my mother.
Up to a certain age, one has that zeal. Now, when that very contract is being decimated, then whoever faces the most hardship will ultimately have to come out onto the streets. Another student claimed, “They have locked me up in jail as if I am a prisoner of Tihar. I came with my friends. These are all my friends, I came along with them. We stayed here all night, I had come with them. Guys, please tell them to let me out! I am not—guys, I am not part of the protest! If I were in the protest, I would be outside, wouldn’t I? Meanwhile, Delhi continued to witness a large-scale security deployment as CJP activists remained determined to go ahead with their protest against the Election Commission.
Because i understand my privileges—I know that I have a vehicle, “I have come here today. But she is above 60, and she has reached a point where she feels this is not the India she signed up for,” the protester said.
