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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday defended the Delhi police action during Monday's protests at Jantar Mantar, saying that while everyone has the constitutional right to protest peacefully, creating political instability, holding demonstrations without permission and resorting to violence cannot be accepted.
Fadnavis asserted that protesting without permission or resorting to violence is "unacceptable" under any circumstances and necessary action would be taken against it. Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis said, "In a democracy, everyone has the right to protest. However, while protesting, one thing must keep in mind both the rights given by the Constitution and the responsibilities placed by it. If anyone conducts a peaceful protest with due permission, such permission will be granted, and everyone has the right to carry out such protests. On the other hand, creating political instability intentionally, protesting without permission, or resorting to violence is unacceptable under any circumstances, and necessary action will be taken against it." The Chief Minister added that when an agitation becomes "faceless or leaderless", certain elements tend to infiltrate it and use the platform to serve their own interests. "Whenever any agitation becomes faceless or leaderless, certain elements infiltrate it. They try to take advantage of the situation and use the platform to serve their own interests. Even in Delhi, during the protests, several political parties tried to capitalise on the situation. Many organisations that had nothing to do with the issue tried to create chaos. When an agitation lacks leadership, as we saw in Delhi, Police vehicles were damaged, overturned, and stones were pelted at the police," he said. Defending the police action, the Maharashtra CM said that no government wants to use force against its citizens, but the situation on Monday required the police to intervene. "I want to emphasise that no government likes to use lathi charges on its own citizens. But considering the situation yesterday, if the police hadn't controlled it, several unnecessary incidents could have occurred. The police showed great restraint and took only the necessary action to manage the protest appropriately," Fadnavis said. He clarified that he was not blaming all those who participated in the protest, saying that some may have joined with genuine intentions. However, he alleged that certain elements with vested interests had infiltrated the agitation to create disorder and push their own agenda. "I am not accusing all protesters. Some might be participating with good intentions. However, it is certain that elements driven by self-interest, who have nothing to do with the actual issue (such as NEET) or when the exam was held, have infiltrated to create anarchy and advance their own agenda," he said. "When people who are unaware of the core issue start pushing their own agendas, it means not everyone is aligned toward a single cause. Miscellaneous elements are trying to fulfil their interests," Fadnavis added. On Monday, the CJP's protest over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak intensified even as a march towards Parliament turned violent, while a party delegation met Union Health Minister JP Nadda to press its demands. (ANI)
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