Prominent public figures including Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, slammed the Bengaluru city police for manhandling noted historian Ramachandra Guha. He was detained by the police in the morning and let off in the afternoon.
Dramatic scenes unfolded on Thursday morning at Town Hall in Bengaluru where a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was organised. The 61-year-old historian was also a part of the protest at Town Hall, where prohibitory orders under section 144 were imposed. Ramachandra Guha arrived at Town Hall with a poster of BR Ambedkar which stated ‘CAA against Constitution’.
In a video clip which has since gone viral, Ramachandra Guha is seen talking to the policemen at the protest spot, holding a placard. As a policeman who stood around him started pulling him, the other two policemen joined in to drag and manhandle him.
.@Ram_Guha arretsed by @BlrCityPolice at townhall #CAAProtest pic.twitter.com/XTcbMhSuUa
— Imran Khan (@keypadguerilla) December 19, 2019
Slamming the action of the police on a world-renowned historian and intellectual, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, a Padma Bhushan awardee and the chairperson and managing director of Biocon, expressed shock at the incident. “This is shocking n reflects the total lack of understanding of fundamental freedom to express dissent - a peaceful protest shd not be mishandled in this manner,” she tweeted.
https://t.co/kQpbEkDqbt This is shocking n reflects the total lack of understanding of fundamental freedom to express dissent - a peaceful protest shd not be mishandled in this manner
— Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (@kiranshaw) December 19, 2019
As the video went viral, many other celebrities too joined Kiran Mazumdar Shaw in condemning the behaviour of the police.
Edward Luce, Associate Editor of Financial Times, tweeted in solidarity with Ramchandra Guha. “A system that can arrest and detain @Ram_Guha, Gandhi’s biographer, for peacefully protesting to uphold its constitution is not a liberal democracy. I fear for India. Stand with Ram!,” he tweeted.
A system that can arrest and detain @Ram_Guha, Gandhi’s biographer, for peacefully protesting to uphold its constitution is not a liberal democracy. I fear for India. Stand with Ram!
— Edward Luce (@EdwardGLuce) December 19, 2019
Actor-politician Kamal Haasan also slammed the police action on Ramchandra Guha as well as on Yogendra Yadav on Thursday. Yogendra Yadav, the founder of Swaraj India, was detained in New Delhi for participating in protests.
I applaud with glee at the stupidity of the government for stoking the fire of Satyagraha by arresting the thinking and questioning minds of India like @Ram_Guha & @_YogendraYadav .
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) December 19, 2019
Yet I am concerned for their safety. India stands with you.
Other public figures also took to Twitter to register their shock and disapproval at the way Bengaluru city police treated Ramchandra Guha.
@Ram_Guha was standing alone with a placard. What is this nonsense? Why are they touching him? #section144 #Bengaluru https://t.co/ro0xFqFtgo
— Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) December 19, 2019
One of the most profound, insightful and thought provoking books on India ever written is 'India after Gandhi' by @Ram_Guha. The same guy who just got detained.
— Parminder Singh (@parrysingh) December 19, 2019
That's it. Nothing else to be said.
The cops not only arrest but come close to punching @Ram_Guha . Outrageous https://t.co/ALptFqfjOS
— William Dalrymple (@DalrympleWill) December 19, 2019