Ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's Alwar visit on Sunday, Rajasthan Police has detained a group of students as they were planning to hold a protest and show black flags to him.
Shah, along with CM Bhajanlal Sharma, is scheduled to address a public meeting at Vijay Nagar Ground in Alwar and launch development projects worth ₹6,279 crore across the state, including ₹783 crore worth of projects in Alwar district.
Students were taken into custody before a proposed protest at RR College, PTI reported.
The protest was planned to raise the issue of lathi-charge on students at Jantar Mantar in Delhi during the Cockroach Janta Party protest.
Other issues on their list included the poor condition of roads, the alleged 'Matsya scam' (corruption in the fisheries department), and the demand to restore student union elections in Rajasthan, sources told PTI.
The Alwar detentions reflect a wider pattern of preventive measures ahead of Shah’s public engagements. This latest move adds fuel to the Opposition's ongoing demand for his resignation over the July police crackdown on students in the capital.
Ahead of a visit by Shah and NSA Ajit Doval to Pune on August 1, police detained several Maharashtra Youth Congress and Pune City Congress leaders shortly after midnight. Youth Congress officials alleged that their leaders were held for nearly 16 hours and that their mobile phones were confiscated during the detention
Separately on the same day in Pune, police preemptively detained Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vasant More after he announced a protest during Shah's visit. Authorities clarified that the detention was strictly preventive and unrelated to any criminal charges, aimed at ensuring the visit and an award ceremony for Doval proceeded smoothly.
The July 20 police action cited by the Alwar protesters stems from a student-led demonstration at Jantar Mantar over alleged NEET-UG paper leaks. The protest brought together activists from several organisations, including the All India Students Association and the Cockroach Janta Party.
Student groups allege that authorities are continuing to detain activists despite official assurances that no punitive action would be taken once the protests concluded.
