India news: Thunberg shows solidarity with CJP protesters

Floods and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains have killed at least 50 people in the northern Indian state of Assam since mid-July.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday that the situation remained “persistently grim.”

Almost 1.1 million people across more than 2,000 villages have been affected, according to Sarma. More than 41,000 people are currently sheltering in emergency accommodation.

Dozens of people remain missing in the flood-hit areas.

Sarma said he would consult the Indian military on how to reach people who were still cut off.

The heavy rainfall caused the Brahmaputra River, which runs for around 2,900 kilometers, to burst its banks as it flows through Assam.

India’s Supreme Court has said police must not use excessive force simply because a protest is taking place, stressing that peaceful demonstrations are protected under the constitution.

The three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant heard several petitions alleging police excesses against so-called NEET protesters in Delhi and other parts of the country.

The protesters are mainly students and medical-school applicants demonstrating over alleged irregularities in India’s National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, or NEET. They have also dubbed themselves “cockroaches” after comments made by India’s former education minister.

“The right to protest, peaceful protest, lawful protest, is absolutely guaranteed under the constitutional scheme,” Kant said.

“So long as there is a peaceful agitation, merely because there is an agitation, there can’t be excesses.”

The court called for a clear protocol to balance the right to protest with public order.

“If they want to agitate on an issue, they should be provided with proper space,” Kant said. “There should be no restriction or impediment in that.”

He added that police could take action against “anti-social elements” or anyone who had broken the law.

The petitions included one filed by Rajya Sabha lawmaker Manoj Jha.

India has summoned Ukraine‘s ambassador over an attack on a commercial vessel that killed an Indian national.

The Foreign Ministry said on Monday that the envoy had been asked to convey New Delhi’s strong concerns to Kyiv following the July 18 strike on the MV OMORFI.

India reiterated that attacks targeting commercial vessels were “unacceptable and must be avoided.”

The policeman who was seen firing an AK-47 assault rifle in a video during a protest on Saturday in Bihar’s Siwan dictrict was suspended, officials said.

The policeman’s suspension comes after Siwan Superintendent of Police Puran Kumar Jha told Indian newspaper The Indian Express on Sunday that eight shots were fired during the protests.

“From the police’s side, four rounds were fired from long-range weapons and three rounds from pistols. In all, around eight to 10 rounds were fired. We are also investigating where the remaining firing came from,” Jha had said.

Three people reportedly sustained bullet injuries, and several police personnel, including Jha were injured after student protests turned violent in Siwan, but it has yet to be determined if this is connected to the use of the AK-47.

The incident took place when a statewide shutdown (Bihar Bandh) was organized in solidarity with the nationwide protests over paper leaks.

Meanwhile, the police crackdown in connection with the Bihar Bandh protests continues. According to local media reports, more than 400 protesters have been arrested and sent to jail so far.

Leader of opposition in parliament for his Congress Party, Rahul Gandhi, has sought accountability for what he described as a “barbaric assault” on protesting students.

He has also asked Home Minister Amit Shah whether he approved the use of ‘lethal force,’ including pellet guns to quell the protests.

In his letter, Gandhi said peaceful protest is crucial to any democracy and that it is the government’s responsibility to protect protesters and resolve their grievances through dialogue.

“Such brutal violence destroys every norm, and has outraged the country. Youth and students, the future of our country, are demanding answers and accountability. Their voice will be heard,” the former Congress chief has said.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who resigned after the mass protests over exam irregularities , was welcomed in parliament by members of his Bharatiya Janata Party amid cheers and “Dharmendra Pradhan zindabad” (“long live Dharmendra Pradhan”).

A day after CJP called off its mass protest, it issued a statement seeking guarantees from the government against reprisals.

One CJP’s three main demands was a guarantee from the government that no punitive action would be taken against any protestor.

“The Cockroach Janta Party had called off its nationwide protest only after the Government of India assured us that no punitive action would be taken against any protestor, either now or in the future, in any BJP-ruled or NDA-ruled states,” the CJP said in its statement.

However, reports of students and protesters being targeted, detained, or arrested by state agencies, particularly in Assam, West Bengal and Bihar have emerged since the protest was called of by the CJP.

The CJP has demanded the immediate release of students and other protesters allegedly detained in connection with the nationwide agitation.

“We call upon the Government of India… to immediately honour the assurance given to us by ensuring the release of those detained and by directing that no coercive or retaliatory action is taken against any protestor anywhere in the country,” the statement said.

The CJP also demanded that all police investigations registered against protesters be withdrawn and reminded the government of its commitment to provide a written guarantee by July 28.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has expressed her support for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests that took place in Delhi and spread to to other parts of the country.

“The Indian student protest has made us all proud! They have given us hope! They show what we can accomplish when people come together and resist. They show the true meaning of people power,” she said as she attended the celebratory rally organized by Students’ Federation of India (SFI) in London’s Trafalgar Square.

“The Indian students’ struggle for justice and the broader struggle for democracy and liberation is also our struggle. So we all have to come together now and rise up in solidarity with India,” Thunberg said.

Hello! This is Midhat from the New Delhi bureau reporting to you after a historic protest shook the Indian government and has resulted in the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The protest, which spread over to cities beyond Delhi has continued with protesters now expressing their discontent over issues other than educational reforms.

While the government assured the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leadership of no action against protesters, authorities have reportedly continued arrests in relation to the demonstrations.

The movement has gained massive support from people and students around the world.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg extended her support for the Cockroach Janta Party protest as she attended a rally in London.

Meanwhile, India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has sought an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over police brutality against students during the protest.

Stay tuned for all this and more from India!