Exactly 81 years after Mahatma Gandhi was apprehended by British Police on Quit India Day (August 9, 1942), a parallel incident occurred involving his great-grandson, Tushar A. Gandhi, on Wednesday.
In the early hours of the day, as Tushar was preparing to visit the historic August Kranti Maidan in south Mumbai to pay homage to the Martyrs of the Quit India Movement, his plans were abruptly interrupted by the Santacruz Police stationed just outside his residence. “While I was departing to observe August Kranti Day, the Santacruz Police Station intercepted and detained me, citing reasons of ‘law and order’…
Presently, I find myself at the Santacruz Police Station,” Tushar Gandhi conveyed to IANS. This incident marks the first instance in Tushar Gandhi’s life where he has encountered such police action.
Tweetमहात्मा गांधी के प्रपौत्र #tushargandhi को मुंबई में हिरासत में लिया गया है, वे भारत छोड़ो की वर्षगांठ पर कार्यक्रम में हिस्सा लेने आजाद मैदान जा रहे थे…https://t.co/vQGs3Zom1i via @YouTube pic.twitter.com/zN7yK0dLX2
— Aman Namra (@amannamra) August 9, 2023
The police had been stationed outside his house since late last night. “It brings me a sense of satisfaction, as both Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba (Bapu and Ba) were similarly held in detention on this momentous date by the colonial British Police… It fills me with pride,” Tushar Gandhi further remarked.
He clarified that he had not received any prior notification, unlike some other Gandhian followers and organizations intending to participate in the Quit India Day commemorations at August Kranti Maidan on the same day.
No charges have been pressed against him either. “I am currently being kept here… The treatment is courteous and respectful… Evidently, this is being carried out under the orders of the Commissioner of Police… Once I am granted permission to depart, I will unquestionably proceed to observe August Kranti Day and honor its Martyrs,” declared Tushar Gandhi.
In the early hours of the morning, the renovated August Kranti Maidan hosted the launch of a new campaign titled ‘Meri Maati, Mera Desh’ (My Soil, My Nation). Present at the event were Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, along with other dignitaries, accompanied by stringent security measures and traffic controls in the surrounding areas.
