DNA spoke to Richa Singh, former President of Allahabad Central University Student Union about the detention of hundreds of students and the attack on freedom of speech in the country.
Police cancelled the event even though the organisers had all the requisite permissions.
The event was just a conference by a student organisation where student leaders were supposed to talk. What was it that the cops were scared of? There was no rationale to cancel the event.
The police detained you even before the event started. Did they give any reasons?
Before we reached the venue, we got to know that the police was detaining people merely for attending the event. As soon as I reached the venue, police picked me and a few others, and took us to Juhu police station. We were later shifted to the Santacruz police station where our phones were taken away.
Students from across the state had come for the conference to hear you and several other speakers. They ended up spending their day at the police station.
Along with me, hundreds of students as young 17years, some of who came from far off places in Maharashtra, were detained for no fault of theirs. They were new to the city and scared of what was happening in front of their eyes.
Was this just another way of suppressing free thought?
Absolutely. I would describe this situation as an undeclared emergency. More than anything, the government is scared of students and their unity. This shows how fragile the state has become.
What would be the future course of action for student leaders?
We would continue fighting our battles. If free speech is being attacked we would ensure that people come together and talk.
