Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson, Tushar Gandhi, claimed on Wednesday that when he left his house to observe the ‘Quit India Day’ at Mumbai’s August Kranti Maidan, the police detained him. Social activist Teesta Setalvad tweeted that she was prevented from leaving her residence, and even the renowned freedom fighter G.G. Parikh was stopped from reaching the August Kranti Maidan. Tushar Gandhi, Setalvad, and Parikh were supposed to participate in the ‘Peace March’ rally from Girgaon Chowpatty to August Kranti Maidan. A police officer mentioned that when Tushar Gandhi emerged from his suburban residence in Santacruz, he was informed that he couldn’t attend the rally as permission had not been granted. However, later he was allowed to proceed to the August Kranti Maidan.
I am being held at the Santa Cruz police station for the first time in independent India’s history because I stepped outside to observe the ‘Quit India Day’ on August 9. Tushar Gandhi tweeted, “I am proud that my great-grandfather Bapu and Ba were also arrested by the British police on this historic date.” An officer later confirmed that Tushar Gandhi reached the Maidan.
Tushar Gandhi had hopes of participating in a rally, which was to go from Girgaon Chowpatty to August Kranti Maidan. When he tried to leave his residence around 7:45 AM, a team of Santa Cruz police officers stationed outside his building informed him that due to legal and security reasons, permission for the rally had not been granted and he couldn’t participate. He said that Tushar Gandhi eventually returned home. The officer mentioned that later the police granted him permission to go to the August Kranti Maidan and pay his respects.
Tushar Gandhi later tweeted, “Fear is so evident in our society. After obtaining permission to leave, I took a rickshaw to Santa Cruz police station.I asked an elderly Muslim cab driver to take me to August Kranti Maidan when we arrived in Bandra. Seeing a police vehicle there, he nervously said, ‘Sir, I don’t want to get into trouble,'” he tweeted.
Setalvad reported in a tweet that she had been prohibited from leaving her home, and Parikh had also been barred from reaching the August Kranti Maidan. She tweeted pictures of police officers present outside her residence in the morning. An officer mentioned that permission for the rally was denied and the organizers were informed through a written notice. The officer explained that the activists were told they could participate in the evening program (to pay respects), but due to legal and security concerns, permission for the rally was not granted.
Setalvad afterwards paid her respects at August Kranti Maidan. She said that Parikh paid his respects to the statue of Lokmanya Tilak in Girgaon and left from there.
Another officer mentioned that earlier in the morning, the DB Marg police detained over 20 activists who gathered near Girgaon Chowpatty in South Mumbai to participate in the rally. He mentioned that later all activists were released.
The Quit India Movement, a cornerstone in India’s struggle for freedom from British rule, holds a significant place in history. On the occasion of the 81st anniversary of the Quit India Movement, people visited the August Kranti Maidan on Wednesday and paid their respects at the Gandhi Smriti pillar.
It is the same ground from which Mahatma Gandhi had given the call for ‘Do or Die’ for freedom. In August 1942, Mahatma Gandhi initiated the movement with his immediate call for independence at the Gowalia Tank in Mumbai, which later became associated with historic significance and transformed into the August Kranti Maidan.
