Policemen reach Rohtak village to detain protester, villagers take them hostage

The villagers also refused to let the police team leave until they or a senior explained their actions in writing. (Express)

A police team’s attempt to detain a Zila Parishad member to prevent him from attending a protest in Delhi triggered a hours-long stand-off with villagers in Haryana’s Kabulpur on Saturday, with hundreds of residents instead “detaining the officers” and refusing to let them leave until they or a senior explained their actions in writing.

The confrontation began around 6 am when a team from Shivaji Colony police station, led by Station House Officer Rakesh Kumar, reached the residence of Jai Dev Dagar, a Zila Parishad member. According to Dagar, the police intended to detain him to prevent him from travelling to Jantar Mantar in Delhi for a protest organised by the CJP.

Dagar made a few phone calls and within minutes, hundreds of villagers gathered outside his residence. They confronted the police personnel and insisted that a senior officer from Rohtak arrive to explain the proposed detention. The villagers then refused to let the police team leave, turning the attempted detention into a stand-off that lasted until around 1 pm.

Videos of the confrontation went viral on social media. The impasse ended after the police personnel handed the villagers a handwritten note explaining the reason for their visit. Signed by members of the team, the note referred to prohibitory orders imposed by the Rohtak district administration and stated that Dagar had announced plans to attend the Delhi protest. It added that the police had visited his residence to detain him under relevant provisions of law.

Dagar, however, maintained that attending the demonstration was an exercise of his democratic rights. He said he was not affiliated with any political party but believed in standing up for justice.

SHO Rakesh Kumar sought to downplay the confrontation, describing Dagar as a law-abiding citizen who had cooperated with the police. He said the team had visited Kabulpur because Dagar had announced that he would attend the demonstration, which, according to the police, lacked the necessary permission. It was the police’s responsibility to prevent people from gathering at the venue, he said.

On the circulation of videos of the incident, Kumar said villagers were free to record and share the footage, adding that the police had no intention of stopping them from doing so.