'They are afraid we will rekindle spirit of August 1942'

Freedom fighter Dr G G Parikh, activists Tushar Gandhi and  Teesta Setalvad were prevented from reaching the August Kranti Maidan on Wednesday morning by the Mumbai police.

While Parikh was prevented from reaching August Kranti, Gandhi was detained at the Santacruz police station while Setalvad was stopped from leaving her residence in suburban Juhu.

Activists had planned to gather at the historic venue of the Quit India call in 1942, on its 81st anniversary. About 50 of them were detained by the police and were let off later.

Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi tweeted this morning that he has been detained by the Santacruz police and was released after three hours.

Gandhi, who was on his way to the August Kranti Maidan, the historic place from where the Mahatma launched the Quit India Movement on August 8, 1942, told Rediff.com that he was detained on the order of Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar because he was considered “a law and order threat.”

“Every year on August Kranti Diwas (Quit India Day) we take out a march from the place from where the Mahatma started the movement. 

“As usual like every year we had organised a peace march to August Kranti Maidan. This year the theme was 'Nafraton Bharat Chhodo, Mohabbat se dilon ko jodo'. We were going to march with this message and were going to commemorate the day at August Kranti Maidan. 

“They (Santacruz police) said that the march (procession) that we were doing to commemorate the Quit India Day was a threat to law and order; that I was a threat to law and order. So they detained me for three hours on the CP's order,” Gandhi said as he headed towards the August Kranti Maidan at Grant Road, south Mumbai.

"I said I will go, if you want detain me. So, I was taken from my home to the Santacruz police station. They were good to me but they were following orders. At the police station they said they were doing this on the orders of the police commissioner's office. 

"I was told our march posed a threat to the law and order situation and they would not allow that and so I was held at the Santacruz police station. They have just let me go now after three hours and so I am heading to the August Kranti Maidan because I am determined to at least go and pay my respects to the memorial to the martyrs of the Quit India Movement on this day.

"I was brought to the police station at 7 am and allowed to go at 10 am. Now, that the official programme is over they know I can't reach and disrupt the programme. 

 “The CP was unfortunately carrying out the orders from his bosses. Why would the CP suddenly, after so many years, consider our programme that happens every year to be a law and order problem?” Gandhi said alluding his detention to state home minister Devendra Fadnavis.

“The media should ask him (Fadnavis) that. How can I answer for his mindset? But what ideology he comes from is apparent.”

"Whenever I am in Mumbai on this day, I always go to August Kranti Maidan. The walk is from the Tilak Statue at Chowpatty to August Kranti Maidan. Till today it has never been seen as a threat to law and order but this time suddenly they thought we were a band of terrorists who have to be stopped and society has to be protected from us. 

"Maybe they are afraid we will rekindle the spirit of 1942."