Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and lyricist Vishal Dadlani had joined the protest organised by students at the Gateway of India on Monday night. On January 7, the protesters were shifted from Gateway of India to Azad Maidan in Mumbai.
Mumbai: The Mumbai Police on Tuesday (January 7) evicted those protesting at the Gateway of India against violence in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), and relocated them to Azad Maidan citing inconvenience to tourists and locals.
Before shifting the protesters, Sangramsingh Nishandar, deputy commissioner of police (Zone 1) had appealed to protesters to relocate to Azad Maidan due to disruption in traffic at the Gateway of India.
"There is only one Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) toilet at the Gateway of India, Azad Maidan has all facilities. There is water. We have no objection against your slogans, posters and placards or anything. There were even posters of free Kashmir," the DCP said while appealing to students and others to shift their protest to Azad Maidan.
"There are tourists coming here. Thousands of people going to hospitals and locals going to their offices use this route. There are several other andolans taking place in parallel. Public peace was disturbed. Protestors also took out a march, which is against the court's order. Nothing was being followed for two days. As rules were not followed, we sincerely appeal to you to relocate yourself. We have nothing against the peaceful assembly, but I am declaring this assembly is unlawful," he added.
After relocating the protestors forcefully by putting them into buses, Nishandar said, "The roads were getting blocked, and common Mumbaikar and tourists were facing problems. We had appealed to protesters many times. We have now relocated them to Azad Maidan."
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