Police detain anti-quota protestors in Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 25 (UNI) More than 250 anti-quota protestors were detained by the Mumbai police in a pre-dawn clamp down on medical students and other potential agitators here today.

Around 135 medical students, which included several female and junior students have been detained by the Lamington road police.

Other protestors have been detained under the Gamdevi and V P Road police stations.

Dr Ravikant Singh of the King Edwards Memorial (KEM) hospital and a member of 'Youth for Equality' movement fighting against reservation in institutes of higher education told UNI that medical students were whisked away by police from several areas of the city even before they could assemble at Wilson College.

He stated that there was a strong presence of police personnel armed with water cannon around Wilson college to foil any attempts by students to show protests.

Singh further added that medical students were specifically targetted by the police this time by arresting them before hand, leaving the protests on the shoulders of engineering students.

Dr Amit Kumar of J J Hospital and a senior member of the movement said that police and law agencies have started surveillance on members of the movement, as a result large number of students were taken into preventive custody.

Kumar informed that considering the apex court's intervention and subsequent pushing of the 'Reservation Bill', to the Winter Session of the Parliament, will, for the time being cut down protests.

He stressed that the movement still would press ahead with its demands for a review of the Mandal-I, reservation issues should be presided by non-political judicial committees and decision on the issue only after taking student concerns on board.

However, police sources stated that 20 agitators have been detained under the Gamdevi police limits for unlawful assembly while other detainees are being released accordingly.

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