Shiv Sena (UBT) Slams Centre Over Crackdown on Anti-Government Protests in ‘Saamana’

In an editorial published in the party mouthpiece Saamana on Monday, the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction criticised the deployment of security personnel, restrictions on movement and detention of protesters and opposition leaders during demonstrations on October 10.

The editorial alleged that personnel deployed in anti-terror and anti-Naxalite operations in states and regions including Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Manipur were brought in to enforce a security blockade in the national capital.

It claimed that access routes were sealed and extensive security arrangements disrupted public transport and other services, including metro operations, bus networks, long-distance trains and flights. The editorial also alleged that police boarded an aircraft to detain opposition leaders, including Dipankar Bhattacharya and Manoj Jha.

According to the party’s account, students and civil society members continued to reach protest venues despite the restrictions. The editorial further claimed that former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal were arrested during the crackdown.

In Mumbai, police detained Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, as he attempted to lead a peaceful satyagraha towards August Kranti Maidan, the editorial said. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and party workers subsequently marched to the DN Nagar police station, demanding his release.

The editorial also cited alleged international criticism of the handling of the demonstrations, referring to concerns over detentions, police conduct and the treatment of women protesters. It argued that the right to peaceful assembly must be respected.

Rejecting BJP leaders’ characterisation of the demonstrations as a “flop show”, the Thackeray camp argued that the scale of the security response contradicted claims that the protests lacked public support.

The editorial accused the government of a decade-long pattern of public harassment, misuse of public funds and electoral manipulation, allegations that form part of the party’s political criticism of the Centre.

“When a dictator is afraid, the demon within him builds armed steel walls for self-protection, but these walls are inevitably destroyed by the rebellion of the people,” the editorial declared.

The party maintained that public discontent over governance had intensified and portrayed the crackdown as an attempt to contain growing opposition.