Man frees detained students from police van in Mumbai’s Chembur

A student protest in Mumbai’s Chembur area turned dramatic when a man casually opened the latch of a police van, allowing detained youths to escape. The protest, held in violation of prohibitory orders, saw 700–800 students gather. Police exercised restraint, detaining around 200 individuals.

Mumbai: A police attempt to shift student protesters in a van in Mumbai’s Chembur area was foiled when a man casually walked up and opened the latch, allowing several youths to gush out and escape, according to a viral video.

The incident occurred during a student protest held on Wednesday afternoon at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Udyan Chowk within the jurisdiction of the Chembur police station. The demonstration was held in violation of prohibitory orders, police said.

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According to the police, 700 to 800 protesters had assembled at the site.

An official said that the police personnel exercised restraint and attempted to persuade the crowd to disperse, following which the gathering broke up. Around 200 individuals were identified from the crowd and detained.

In the viral video, a man approaches a police van carrying the detained protesters and opens the latch, enabling several students to jump out and run away, even as a young woman following the vehicle claps.

Meanwhile, another viral video showed a young woman standing in the way of a police vehicle, raising slogans during a protest in Mumbai.

“I understand that they are doing their job, but they are not doing it responsibly. If they don’t behave responsibly, we must take responsibility for our citizens. What they did with students in Delhi was wrong, and they have to own up.

“We cannot go to Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should resign. If not, then he should go to Jantar Mantar and talk to students,” the woman says in the video.

According to the Mumbai police, they have registered 13 cases, booking 400 persons, between July 18 and July 22, in connection with the ongoing protests on charges of unlawful assembly and violation of prohibitory orders.