Delhi Police acted true to its character and tradition by arresting 25 people who had allegedly pasted posters critical of the government, in particular Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on many walls in some parts of the city. It is also a sign of the government’s insensitivity and refusal, perhaps even nervousness, to accept any criticism of it from the people. The arrests were made in 13 police stations and FIRs were filed against many. A number of sections of the IPC have been invoked. The offences include disobedience of orders promulgated by a public servant and defacement of property. The police are also looking for the press where the posters were printed. Those who pasted the posters included auto drivers, daily wage earners and unemployed youth. Some of those arrested have been released on bail and others are being questioned about their motive and who asked them to put up the posters.
The posters read “Modiji, hamare bachchon ki vaccine videsh kyon bhej diya? (Modiji, why did you send vaccines meant for our children to foreign countries?). This is not a question that should attract FIRs and arrests. The pretext for the police action was violation of lockdown rules and defacement of walls, but it is clear that the real concern was over the criticism of the government and defacement of the Prime Minister's reputation. Otherwise, the police in so many stations would not have launched a large and coordinated drive against those who stuck the posters. Delhi Police reports to the Union Home Ministry and so the direction must have come from the ministry itself. It is unlikely that the police would have on their own rounded up so many people on such silly charges when they have many other matters to attend to in these stressed times.
Every citizen has the right to question the government’s decisions and actions. To round up people for such questioning is authoritarian and undemocratic. The police said that it wanted to find out who engaged the people to put up the posters. It does not matter who told them because everyone has the right to do so. There was no call to violence or instigation of any kind of strife in the posters. The people who thought the government acted wrongly to export vaccines have the right to say so. This is not the first time that the government has attempted to silence criticism and to punish critics and those who ask questions. It has used the police, and other agencies too, for that purpose. This is wrong and counterproductive. Much of its failure on the Covid management front can be traced to its refusal to listen to other views, suggestions and inputs.