Protests Against Delhi Police Brutality Spread Across Maharashtra; MNS Chief Slams Central Government

MUMBAI: After Delhi, the students' protest has spread to other parts of Maharashtra. On Tuesday, students and youths staged protests against the alleged Delhi Police brutality on students and over the medical entrance exam paper leak. The protesters gathered in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. MNS chief Raj Thackeray slammed the BJP-led central government, saying it had "lost its mental balance" and was resorting to lathicharge against students and youths peacefully protesting in Delhi and other parts of the country. He also alleged that the central government forcibly admitted social and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk to a hospital because he refused to end his hunger protest in Delhi. Raj Thackeray said the manner in which Wangchuk was dragged away showed that the government had no genuine concern for his health or for resolving the students' issues. “After witnessing the brutal lathi-charge against protesters, it appears that the government itself has become mentally unstable and needs to be hospitalized. Those in power seem obsessed with demonstrating to the world how they crush legitimate protests and take pleasure in showing it off to the other heads of state, even when you don’t share a common language, by flashing a booming, theatrical laugh for the cameras,” the MNS chief said. He added, after all, who exactly is Dharmendra Pradhan that the government views his resignation as a personal failure? “When Manipur was in flames, this same government shielded the then-Chief Minister, Biren Singh, in a similar fashion. The truth is, the two top leaders in power have absolutely no affection for individuals like him or others of his ilk. Their attitude is: No one tells us what to do. Not the opposition, and certainly not the public. After all, we do not get elected based on votes. Our victories rely on manipulating the entire administrative machinery, exploiting chaos in voter lists, and, of course, the power of EVMs. Who cares about the students?” the MNS chief asked.