Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Wednesday that while people had the right to air their opinions and protest, certain slogans being raised at ongoing demonstrations in Delhi were harmful for the country.
After briefing the media about the Union Cabinet’s decisions on Wednesday, Mr. Javadekar, in response to a question about the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest at Shaheen Bagh, said: “In a democracy, the right to give your opinion and hold protests is there, but you have to take legal permission. If some people think they won’t take permission and just sit, then this reflects on them.”
He reiterated an earlier statement that the government was asked “from both sides” why the police had entered Jamia Millia Islamia and not gone to Jawaharlal Nehru University when violence erupted during the protests. He said the police were in constant touch with the protesters in order to end the demonstration. “But, the kind of speeches being made there... ‘Assam ki azaadi’, ‘Jinnah wali azaadi’, ‘We don’t trust the Supreme Court’ and slogans for Afzal [Guru]... this is wrong for the country and can harm it,” he said.
Mr. Javadekar’s statement comes a day after a JNU Ph.D scholar, Sharjeel Imam, was arrested by the Delhi Police from Bihar on Tuesday for allegedly making inflammatory speeches, including on freedom for Assam.
