Economist-activist Jean Dreze 'detained' with two others in Jharkhand's Garwah; trio released without being charged

Economist and activist Jean Dreze and two others were on Thursday allegedly detained in Jharkhand’s Garwah district for holding a meeting on Right to Food. However, the local administration and police stated that the activists had neither been arrested, nor had any charges been filed against them. They have now been released without any charges against them.

Dreze, along with activists Anuj Gupta and Vivek Kumar, were holding a meeting on Right to Food “without permission”, when local authorities shut down the event. Garwah district collector Harsh Mangla said, “They were holding the meeting without permission, so it was stopped by authorities. They have been released without any kind of interrogation, but our administration will conduct an investigation into the matter.”

Kumar said, “We had planned to hold a jan sabha (public meeting) on the Right to Food, where people could discuss the issues affecting the Public Distribution System, or even the pension scheme, but the police came and shut it down even before it could start, saying that we did not have permission for it.”

“They arrested us and took us to the Bishunpur Police Station and threatened us with charges under IPC 171, 172, and 173. They forced us to switch our phones off and made us wait. Then they asked us to sign a bond stating that we had no complaints with the government — but we refused to, because we do. Why were we brought to the police station without a warning?​ Why were we threatened about an FIR?” he asked, adding, “This is stifling peoples’ voices, because they did not allow us to even discuss the public’s grievances regarding government schemes among ourselves.”

Garwah DSP Neeraj Kumar, however, called reports of the arrest a “misunderstanding” and said that they had not even been detained. “After their meeting was shut down because it was unauthorised, Dreze said he would come to the police station to get more details. Which is why three of them were at the station, and it was a misunderstanding that they had been brought by the police.”

The police later clarified that when the Model Code of Conduct is in place, Section 144 of the CrPC is automatically imposed, and Dreze was holding a public meeting without the due permission.

“When MCC is in place, CrPC 144 is imposed, so assembly of four or more people is unlawful. Dreze had asked for permission to hold a public meeting and it was rejected. We will look into it on why it was rejected,” the local police told a correspondent of The Indian Express .

“Kumar confirmed that they have left the thana without signing the bond or giving any written statement. The three of them are fine,” the associate said.

Initially, they had been told that an FIR would be filed against them, sources said, although the charges had not been specified.