Students call for protest over hijab row, detained

Protesters later released; police deny charge of using force

Over 50 students were detained after a call was given to protest at Karnataka Bhawan, in New Delhi’s Chanakyapuri on Thursday, against the ongoing hijab row in Karnataka, police officers said.

While protesters were supposed to gather outside the Karnataka Bhawan at 3 p.m., most of them were detained before they reached the protest spot. The police picked them up from areas near Assam Bhawan and Odisha Bhawan and took them to Mandir Marg police station in police buses. The students are affiliated to several student organisations, including the All India Students Association (AISA), the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan.

The police said that the students were detained for nearly two hours at the police station and let go around 6 p.m. Some student protesters alleged “manhandling” and “assault” at the hands of police officers. However, the police denied the allegations, saying that “no force” was used against the students.