Teesta Setalvad detained in Varanasi

Lucknow: Social activist Teesta Setalvad was detained by the Varanasi police on Monday where she came in connection with another progr-amme.

Ms Setalvad said that she was wrongly detained because the police thought she had come to participate in BHU protests. Later, she said that it was not a formal arrest.

“Freedom curtailed. Gheraoed by Banaras Police and local SDM (sub-divisional officer) here. No idea whether preventive detention or arrest. How long will be freedom be curtailed?” she wrote in a social media post.

Ms Setalvad claimed a district official told her he received orders from higher ranks to have her arrested so she could not reach her training session at Rajghat. The cops denied knowledge of the arrest.

“No information has come to us from the central office about this,” said an officer at the Lanka Police Station.

Students at Banaras Hindu University have been protesting since Friday morning, over an eve-teasing incident. Ms Setalvad said she was in Varanasi for the Samajwadi Jan Parishad youth training programme, which was planned over a month ago. “All I have been hearing since morning is, ‘Are you going to BHU?’” she said. “I cannot understand if this is a free country”.