Defence Minister Says Delhi Protesters Seek A Bangladesh-Style Change Of Regime

India’s defence minister said on Friday that some of those behind two weeks of protests over the country’s electoral rolls were seeking a change of regime on the Bangladeshi model and accused them of making young people instruments of what he called the politics of anarchy

Representational Image Source: @rajnathsingh on X

Speaking at a news conference in Lucknow, Rajnath Singh said one person had openly told a press conference that she drew inspiration for regime change from Bangladesh while another had spoken of bringing down the government. Their only agenda, he said, was to destroy democratic institutions and set the country alight.

He was referring to remarks made this week. The student leader Neha Bora has reportedly said she is influenced by the movement that removed Sheikh Hasina from power in Bangladesh. The advocate Prashant Bhushan told a news conference on Thursday that a change of government was the declared aim, that this is the purpose of any opposition in a democracy, and that the ruling party had itself run agitations for it in the past.

India’s defence minister said on Friday that some of those behind two weeks of protests over the country’s electoral rolls were seeking a change of government on the Bangladeshi model, and accused them of making young people instruments of what he called the politics of anarchy. Congress leader Pawan Khera said in Delhi that removing a government through elections was precisely the opposition’s job and pointed to 1977 when voters turned out the government of the day.

The entire argument played out as police in the capital pre-empted a march. Abhijeet Dipke of the Cockroach Janta Party was detained as he left the house in Karol Bagh where he was staying and driven to a police station in south-west Delhi. Officers told him he was being held preventively under an order prohibiting gatherings in Connaught Place. About 150 people were detained during the demonstration that followed.

A police team had served him two notices that morning, one directing him not to act in ways that would prejudice the rights of traders and commuters, the other referring to an undertaking he had given to keep the peace. Connaught Place, the notice said, was not a notified protest site, and other venues were available if permission were sought.

Dipke had called supporters to gather at Central Park carrying the national flag in protest at the arrest of two colleagues, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were sent to five days’ custody over allegedly entering Jantar Mantar without authorisation.

Police put the crowd at about 2,000. Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed, the park was cordoned off and buses were lined up for detentions. The municipal council had closed the park for two days. Neha Bora was detained after beginning a separate march at Mandi House, and a third demonstration by left-wing student groups, joined by the Rajya Sabha member John Brittas, walked towards Connaught Place.

In the Supreme Court, a traders’ body sought the lifting of restrictions in Connaught Place, saying its members were losing 2.5 billion rupees a day with the festival season approaching. The court made no order to reopen the park but said it would intervene if businesses suffered, and listed the matter for the last week of October. Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that those who wish to protest, those who wish to trade and those who must keep order are all connected.