News Desk: Stand-up comedian Masoom Rajwani was among those detained by Mumbai Police during an unauthorised candlelight vigil in memory of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, who died in September. Police detained around 140 people at two locations in Mumbai on Sunday, citing concerns over law and order.
According to a police official, around 20 to 25 people gathered at Chaityabhoomi in Dadar to hold a candlelight march in Wakode’s memory. Rajwani was among those detained at the site. Separately, approximately 120 people who assembled at Shivaji Park for an unauthorised protest under the banner of ‘Adivasi Gen Z’ were also taken to a local police station.
Police said the gatherings did not have the necessary permissions. Officials were completing formalities for the release of those detained.
Protests Over Sahil Wakode’s Death
Wakode was found hanging in his hostel room on September 18, reportedly hours after he was caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination. His death triggered protests and allegations from his parents and student groups that he had faced harassment and caste-based discrimination.
A police complaint named professor Suryanarayana Doolla and invoked provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, along with allegations of abetment of suicide. The Mumbai Crime Branch has recorded statements from more than 40 people as part of its investigation.
The allegations remain subject to investigation.
Tribal Students’ Protest Also Stopped
The detentions at Shivaji Park were linked to a planned ‘Janakrosh Morcha’, which protesters intended to organise to demand the resignation of Maharashtra Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike, along with the tribal development department’s commissioner and secretary.
Youth workers alleged that police detained some students at Dadar railway station and near Tilak Bhavan before they could reach the proposed protest venue. Security was reportedly strengthened at railway stations and bus stops along routes leading to Shivaji Park, with plainclothes personnel also deployed in the area.
The protesters had earlier sought permission to hold a demonstration at Azad Maidan, but their request was denied. Permission for the Sunday march at Shivaji Park was also not granted.
The students have been protesting for around two months, demanding improvements in tribal schools and the removal of the contract system for centralised kitchens in tribal residential schools, among other changes. They alleged that their grievances had not been adequately addressed by the tribal development department.
Police maintained that preventive action was necessary to maintain order. The planned march could not proceed following the detentions.
The incident has brought renewed attention to the demands raised by tribal students and the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death, as investigations into the case continue.
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