New Delhi [India], October 15 (ANI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday questioned whether the Government has “so completely abandoned its duty of accountability that it now relies on detention to silence those who demand it,” as he reacted to the judicial custody of CJP activists and the detention of Ankita Bhandari’s parents.
In a post shared on X, Tharoor said peaceful protesters and grieving parents should not be treated as threats, asserting that the right to protest was a constitutional right that could not depend on the government's approval.
"Has the Government so completely abandoned its duty of accountability that it now relies on detention to silence those who demand it? At Jantar Mantar, young citizens exercising their democratic right to peaceful protest, even while waving the national Tricolour, find themselves in judicial custody. At India Gate, the grieving parents of Ankita Bhandari, seeking justice for their daughter, are detained at 4 in the morning, alongside Congress workers who stood in solidarity with them," Tharoor said.
"A protester is not an offender. A grieving parent is not a threat. The distinction should not need explaining to those entrusted with governing," he added.
Questioning the action against the demonstrators, the Congress MP asked, "What threat to public order do peaceful protesters pose? What purpose is served by subjecting bereaved parents, already enduring an unimaginable tragedy, to such indignity?"
Tharoor further said that the Constitution did not guarantee the right to protest only when the demands raised were convenient for those in power.
"The Constitution does not guarantee citizens the right to protest only when their questions are convenient to those in power. That right is not conditional upon the Government’s approval. Nor can it be restricted merely because its exercise causes discomfort," he said.
"The power to detain is not the power to silence. The demand for justice does not end at the gates of a police station. Nor does the courage to speak out disappear at the threat of arrest. The people of this country have never needed permission to stand up for what is right. And they must never be made to believe otherwise," Tharoor added.
Has the Government so completely abandoned its duty of accountability that it now relies on detention to silence those who demand it? At Jantar Mantar, young citizens exercising their democratic right to peaceful protest, even while waving the national Tricolour, find themselves in judicial custody. At India Gate, the grieving parents of Ankita Bhandari, seeking justice for their daughter, are detained at 4 in the morning, alongside Congress workers who stood in solidarity with them. A protester is not an offender. A grieving parent is not a threat. The distinction should not need explaining to those entrusted with governing. What threat to public order do peaceful protesters pose? What purpose is served by subjecting bereaved parents, already enduring an unimaginable tragedy, to such indignity? The Constitution does not guarantee citizens the right to protest only when their questions are convenient to those in power. That right is not conditional upon the Government’s approval. Nor can it be restricted merely because its exercise causes discomfort. The power to detain is not the power to silence. The demand for justice does not end at the gates of a police station. Nor does the courage to speak out disappear at the threat of arrest. The people of this country have never needed permission to stand up for what is right. And they must never be made to believe otherwise. @INCIndia
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 15, 2026
The remarks come amid developments involving protests at Jantar Mantar against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demonstrations seeking justice for Ankita Bhandari.
Meanwhile, a Special Executive Magistrate court at Delhi's Mandir Marg Police Station on Wednesday remanded Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activists Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka to five days of judicial custody until October 19 after they failed to furnish adequate surety for their release.
According to the court order, the magistrate also cited concerns over maintaining public peace and order. Police alleged that the leaders and other workers reached the protest site on October 13 after jumping over the premises of the JD(U) office, raised slogans and created a disturbance. The court observed that the material placed before it indicated a likelihood of the respondents disturbing peace and tranquillity.
The developments come amid the ongoing agitation seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls.
Separately, the parents of Ankita Bhandari were detained by Delhi Police at around 4 am on Thursday during a sit-in protest at India Gate. The demonstrators were demanding justice in the case and opposing the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Governor of Sikkim until the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation was completed.
The parents have since been released from Tilak Marg Police Station.
Earlier in the day, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi criticised the detention, alleging that the parents were taken into custody while peacefully seeking justice for their daughter.
"4 AM in the morning. While the world was asleep, Ankita Bhandari's parents were taken into custody. Their crime? They were sitting quietly at India Gate—with heavy shoulders, without any commotion, and simply demanding that Dushyant Gautam should not be made the Governor of Sikkim until the CBI investigation is complete," Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.
He also asserted that Congress would continue to stand with the family until they received justice.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also condemned the police action, describing it as the "pinnacle of the Modi government's cowardice and insensitivity". He alleged that the parents seeking justice had been detained while a BJP leader was appointed to a gubernatorial post.
Congress leaders Pawan Khera, Supriya Shrinate and Qazi Nizamuddin also criticised the detention, alleging that authorities were targeting those demanding justice for Ankita and questioning Gautam's appointment.
Ankita Bhandari was murdered on September 18, 2022, and her body was recovered from the Chilla Canal on September 24, 2022. (ANI)
