Where Can Women Protest Peacefully?

Women groups in Delhi have alleged Delhi Police of a “brutal crackdown” as they organised a joint program on Thursday at Jantar Mantar, ahead of International Women's Day.

Several groups including All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA), All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), Purogami Mahila Sangathan, National Federation of Indian Women amongst others had gathered at Jantar Mantar but alleged that even before they could start the protest, they were detained.

“The moment women gathered near Jantar Mantar and even before they could take out placards, the police brutally manhandled the women and pushed them into buses. Even inside the buses the women activists were beaten,” a joint statement by the women group alleged.

The women were arrested and later released from Mandir Marg Police Station.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali called out the Police brutality and alleged the women were not even allowed to celebrate International Women’s Day.

“The women's organizations had given this 6th March call to use the occasion of International Women's Day to pledge to strengthen the struggle for women's emancipation, to fight back the politics of hate, to assert our democratic rights and constitutional safeguards, to expose patriarchal policies, to demand justice for Palestinians, and an immediate end to the genocide,” the statement further said.

No protest in support of Palestine has been allowed in Delhi. The women groups condemned the “Delhi Police brutality” and alleged that they were not allowed the right to dissent.

“We… condemn the present anti-people, anti-women, anti-peasant, anti-worker dispensation on whose whims and fancies the Police is acting to crush the democratic right to assemble peacefully even to mark International Women's Day. The paranoia and complicity of the ruling regime in furthering exploitation, oppression and inequality is evident and fully exposed yet again,” they said.

The women activists, however, continued their protest inside the police station.