A video circulating on social media has stirred fresh controversy amid the continuing student protests in Mumbai, India. The video was posted on the Mumbai Congress account on X (formerly Twitter). It shows a member of the police, in uniform, threatening several students who had taken part in the protests that they would be framed in false drug cases if they came back to the demonstrations.
Over the past few days large numbers of students and members of the public have joined protests called by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Shivaji Park, Chembur, Azad Maidan and other areas of Mumbai.
The viral video shows several young people seated in a police van. They are believed to have been detained at a protest site. A policeman in the front seat tells them to go home and never to come to a protest again.
In the video the officer is heard saying: “If I see you here again I will finish your lives.” He goes on: “I will put 50-50 grams of drugs in your bags and file a false case, and then your whole life will be finished.”
He also complains that the students’ movement has made his own life difficult. Posting the video, the Mumbai Congress said that if the incident is genuine it is not merely an attempt to frighten students but a direct assault on democratic rights. Protest is not a crime, the party said; students’ questions should be answered with accountability, not with threats.
Mumbai police have since announced an inquiry into the video’s authenticity and the circumstances of the incident. The driver of the police vehicle seen in the video has been removed from his current duties until the inquiry is complete. Police said further action would be taken on the basis of its findings.
Criticism is also growing over Mumbai police tactics in containing the student movement. It is alleged that police are monitoring protesters through digital channels and visiting their homes to warn them.
It is further alleged that many of those who previously faced cases or legal notices have been telephoned by local police stations and told to stay at home with their live location switched on over WhatsApp.
There are also allegations that some students were sent notices at dawn through messaging apps under section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), requiring them to appear for questioning about earlier protests.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report