Shiv Sena (UBT) Condemns Governments Response to Anti-Government Protests

Mumbai, October 12 (Daily Kiran) : Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray accused the central government of employing “cowardly” and authoritarian tactics to suppress large-scale protests occurring across the country. In an editorial published in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Saamana,’ Thackeray condemned the government’s deployment of armed security personnel, previously engaged in anti-terror operations in states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Manipur, to enforce an unprecedented lockdown in Delhi.

The editorial highlighted that access routes and alleys in the national capital were sealed off. Approximately 100,000 armed personnel surrounded the residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Krishna Menon Road. This strict security grid disrupted public infrastructure, leading to the suspension of internet services, metro transit, local bus networks, long-distance trains, and commercial flights.

The piece claimed that police allegedly boarded an aircraft to detain prominent political figures, including Dipankar Bhattacharya and Manoj Jha. Despite a significant logistical shutdown, students and civil society members managed to gather in large numbers at protest sites in Delhi.

The editorial noted that police arrested former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal during these actions. In Mumbai, police detained Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, as he attempted to peacefully protest at August Kranti Maidan.

Opposition leaders quickly condemned these actions, with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and party activists marching to the DN Nagar police station demanding immediate release of those detained.

The editorial also emphasized the increasing international scrutiny on India’s internal security operations. It reported that the United Nations Human Rights Office expressed deep concern over arbitrary detentions, police brutality, and the dragging of female protesters into vans and taken to undisclosed locations. The UN urged Indian authorities to uphold the fundamental right to peaceful assembly and release all citizens held unlawfully.

Global news outlets, including The New York Times and major London newspapers, shared images of the crackdown, stating that Indian democracy is facing a severe crisis.

Shiv Sena (UBT) argued that the government’s reliance on harsh policing reflects its internal weaknesses. The editorial concluded, “When a tyrant feels fear, they build walls of armed steel to protect themselves, but these walls will eventually crumble under the people’s rebellion,” asserting that public anger over government issues has reached a boiling point.