Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Friday, 23 October accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre of running a virtual 'Police Raj', sharply criticising the arrest and seven-day detention of Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) youth activists Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka at Tihar Jail, New Delhi. The two were held after they carried the National Flag and protested peacefully at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

What Saamana Said

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party voiced its criticism through an editorial in its party mouthpiece Saamana, questioning whether the government fears peaceful democratic protests or is 'terrified of young citizens holding the Indian National Flag.' The editorial condemned what it described as the systematic seizure of public protest venues — from Mumbai and Delhi to Patna, Lucknow, and Kolkata — calling it 'the outright choking of democracy.'

Jantar Mantar and the Prohibitory Orders

The editorial detailed how the two CJP activists were arrested after defying prohibitory orders, reportedly issued following a decision by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of approved protest sites. 'The children did not go to Jantar Mantar to play Dandiya; they went to raise their voice against corrupt electoral practices. If the government were truly generous and democratic, would it lock down Jantar Mantar?' the editorial asked. It further argued that demanding government permission before protesting against state injustice was 'absurd.'

The Contrast Drawn: Protests vs. Crime

Saamana drew a pointed contrast, noting that while courts reportedly lectured young flag-bearing idealists, justice appeared 'surprisingly lenient' towards those convicted of grave offences — citing the case of rape-convicted former politician Kuldeep Sengar, whose sentence was reportedly suspended by a judge. Critics argue this asymmetry reveals the selective application of state power.

Names Cited in the Editorial's Defence of Protest

Dismissing the government's argument that 'unscrupulous elements' could infiltrate rallies to justify police clearances, the Thackeray camp pointed to the fact that prominent figures such as climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, opposition members of parliament, and economist Parakala Prabhakar — husband of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman — have themselves taken to the streets. 'Are these individuals also troublemakers?' the editorial asked. It further alleged that actual violence at protests stems from government-backed actors rather than demonstrators.

Judiciary and the Root Cause

Expressing disappointment over a High Court that reportedly lectured young protesters about student unrest in France and Albania, Shiv Sena (UBT) urged the judiciary to examine the root causes of citizen discontent rather than its symptoms. The editorial concluded that a government which fears peaceful, nation-loving youth holding the Tricolour signals 'not strength but the peak of political paranoia.' The party characterised this as a defining feature of what it called the Modi-Shah administration's approach to dissent.

The developments come amid a broader national debate over the right to protest, permissible public spaces, and the limits of state authority — a debate that is unlikely to recede ahead of upcoming electoral cycles.