A day after 148 people were killed in a terror attack on a school in Peshawar, the Delhi Police stopped a candlelight vigil for the victims at India Gate in New Delhi on Wednesday evening,  allegedly describing the event as “anti-national”.


“What happened yesterday in Pakistan is horrific, it was a display of solidarity," Kavita Krishnan, secretary of All India Progressive Women Association told Scroll over the phone. “It was a gathering of students, teachers and activists to peacefully light candles at India gate.”

Approximately 35 participants were detained by the police, activists said. “We asked them to show us a circular which bars lighting candles at India Gate,” Om Prasad, an activist with All India Students Association told Scroll, speaking from the Parliament Street police station. “They said it is an 'anti-national' activity and started misbehaving and detaining people who had gathered.”

However, staff at the Parliament Street police station denied any knowledge of the matter. “We don’t know of any such thing," said head constable Mahesh Chand. "The detained must be at Tilak Marg police station.”

At Tilak Marg, the head constable also denied that any participants had been brought to his station. “Nobody has been brought here, other officers would know,” said head constable Ravinder Singh before disconnecting the call.

Ashutosh Kumar, President of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union, who is among the people detained, said that the police snatched participants' banner and candles. "It is shameful that we can’t light a candle peacefully in our own country,” he told Scroll.in.

He added, “I don’t know which charges they will press but we won’t give up our right to hold peaceful vigils."

This is what Kavita Krishna tweeted about the incident.


Here are tweets by Madhuresh Kumar of the National Alliance of Peoples' Movements.