The rally led by Gujarat Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and attended by JNU student leaders Kanhaiya Kumar, Shehla Rashid and Umar Khalid began around 1 pm at Parliament Street in Delhi
The 'Yuva Hunkar' rally, which began amidst heavy police presence in Delhi today, saw a low turnout. The rally led by Gujarat Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and attended by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leaders Kanhaiya Kumar, Shehla Rashid and Umar Khalid began around 1 pm at Parliament Street in the national capital.
Assam farmers leader Akhil Gogoi and senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan were also present apart from students from JNU, Delhi University, Lucknow University and Allahabad University among others.
Sister of Najib Ahmad, the JNU student who disappeared after a confrontation with ABVP activists in 2016, also took the stage and said she lost one brother but found many more.
Although the authorities had maintained until the last minute that Mevani and his supporters did not have permission to hold the event, the rally organisers, however, went on with the event and were not stopped by the Delhi Police.
Around 2,000 security personnel, including the paramilitary forces, was deployed in the national capital in view of the rally. 80% of the police force was later withdrawn in view of the low turnout.
Parliament Street was fortified and water cannon vehicles were also deployed.
Yesterday, the city police had said that no permission was given to organise the protest in the city, citing orders of National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Bhushan, however, said in a tweet, "Please don't mislead people @DCPNewDelhi. NGT orders are for Jantar Mantar, not Parliament St. SC has always held right to peaceful protest meetings is a fundamental right. Any attempt by police to stop the #YuvaRally tomorrow will be undemocratic & violation of fundamental rights".
The organisers, however, said that the programme would go on as per the intended schedule.
'Nobody has been given a permission. Since there is an NGT order that no protest can be staged at Jantar Mantar, we have asked organisers to hold the protest at alternate sites like Ramlila Maidan,' Ajay Chaudhary, Joint CP of New Delhi, had said in morning.
The rally seeks to raise the demand for the release of Dalit outfit Bhim Army's founder Chandrashekhar Azad and emphasise on issues like educational rights, employment, livelihood and gender justice.
Azad (30) was arrested in June last year from Himachal Pradesh as he is the main accused in Thakur-Dalit clashes in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district.
His supporters turned up with posters bearing his image.
The organisers said after the rally, a delegation will walk to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official residence at Lok Kalyan Marg to hand over a copy of the Indian Constitution and the 'Manusmriti' to him, and ask him to choose between the two.
(With PTI inputs)
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