The Delhi Police on Thursday dismissed claims that the extension of preventive detention powers under the National Security Act (NSA) was linked to the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest over the NEET paper leak, saying the order was a routine administrative renewal issued before the demonstrations began.
The clarification came after reports surfaced that the NSA renewal was invoked to quell the students’ protest at Jantar Mantar. Politicians, including AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, had claimed that the government was using a “draconian” law to quell dissent, saying the youth were “not a threat to national security.”
In a statement, Delhi Police said the extension of NSA detention powers was a routine quarterly renewal issued before the CJP-led protest began. It said that misleading information was being circulated claiming that Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar, who assumed charge on July 17, had been granted detention powers under the NSA specifically to deal with the CJP protest.
“It is officially clarified that the order in question is a routine, quarterly extension of powers under the NSA, which is conventionally renewed every three months,” the police said.
The NSA empowers the Centre and state governments to order preventive detention of individuals to stop them from acting in a manner considered prejudicial to the defence of India, the security of the state, or the maintenance of public order. Preventive detention under the Act can range from three to 12 months, subject to review by an advisory board headed by a former high court judge.
According to the police, the current NSA renewal was approved on July 7 and is effective from July 19 to October 18, predating the commencement of the CJP protests. Police also said no specific request had been made in connection with the ongoing agitation and that the order had been “interpreted out of context.”
The clarification followed Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu’s decision to extend the Delhi Police Commissioner’s powers of preventive detention under Section 3(2) of the NSA until October 18 through a notification issued by the Delhi government’s Home Department.
The CJP has been protesting at Jantar Mantar since June 20, demanding action over the NEET paper leak and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. On Monday, the party’s “Chalo Sansad” march witnessed clashes between protesters and police, leaving several people, including security personnel, injured.
A Delhi government official said the delegation of NSA detention powers to the Delhi Police Commissioner has been a long-standing practice since the 1980s and is routinely renewed every quarter.
– Ends
(with inputs from PTI)
