Tushar Gandhi held by police for nearly 10 hours to stop a protest at August Kranti Maidan

Mumbai: Mumbai Police detained Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson and head of the group Hum Bharat Ke Log, near National College in Bandra at about 9.30 am on Saturday. He had called on people to gather at August Kranti Maidan at 3.30 pm in support of the Cockroach Janta Party's protest in Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He was released at about 7.30 pm, nearly ten hours later.

He was taken to the D.N. Nagar police station in Andheri West, and moved to the Borivali police station before Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Aaditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut and Anil Parab reached D.N. Nagar. Sena (UBT) and Congress workers gathered outside the D.N. Nagar station and raised slogans against the government, watched by a large police deployment.

Gandhi said his daughter had also been detained and taken to the Dongri police station, and accused the government of using the police against activists because it was afraid. Activist Feroze Mithiborwala was picked up from his home and taken to the MIDC police station, and actor Imran Khan was reportedly detained near August Kranti Maidan. Thackeray criticised the Centre in a post on X over the detention of protesters in Delhi.

The police said August Kranti Maidan was not a designated protest site under a Bombay High Court order and that the preventive action was taken to maintain law and order.

Sources: Free Press Journal; Mid-Day; Saam Tv