Changed trains, took sleeper buses: Punjab students join Jantar Mantar protest, several detained

The detained students were taken to Suraj Mal Stadium and Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, while some were transported in buses to locations far from Delhi and dropped along the Sonepat road, student leaders said.

The students were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Randhawa said hundreds of students and youth had been detained and efforts were underway to secure their release.

“Today, the Punjab Students Union and Naujawan Bharat Sabha initiated a march from Gurdwara Bangla Sahib towards Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. During the march, the police launched a baton charge against the youth and students, arresting hundreds of them and detaining them after converting Keshavpuram police station, Suraj Mal Stadium and Rajiv Gandhi Stadium into makeshift open prisons,” Randhawa said.

Asked how they managed to reach the national capital despite the cancellation of 75 trains, the students said they had changed their tickets and train routes and also travelled by sleeper buses to make it to Delhi.

“We came because we had decided that we had to reach,” said Punjab Students Union state president Ranbir Singh and Naujawan Bharat Sabha state vice-president Mangaljit Pandori. Both organisations are affiliated with the CPI(ML).

The student leaders said those detained included Naujawan Bharat Sabha general secretary Karamjit Maanuke, Naunihal Singh, Punjab Students Union general secretary Dheeraj Fazilka, Baljit Dharmkot, Gurdas Singh, Davinder Chabilpur, Harjinder Singh Khokhar, Harveer Kaur and Sukhpreet Kaur.

Randhawa said around 20 women students were also among those detained.

The student leaders said they had managed to register a symbolic protest and would now return to Punjab.