On February 1, the Dharavi Police in Mumbai arrested social media influencer Vikas Fhatak popularly known as ‘Hindustani Bhau’ and others for supporting the students’ protest over the demand for online exams for class 10 and class 12 in view of Covid-19.
Mumbai: Social media influencer Vikas Fhatak, also known as ‘Hindustani Bhau’, arrested by Dharavi Police in connection with students’ protest in Dharavi y’day over their demand for online exams for classes 10th & 12th, in view of #COVID19. FIR registered against Fhatak & others.
— ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2022
The Police has registered FIR under Sections 353, 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from duty), 427, 109, 114 (Abettor present when offence committed), 143(unlawful assembly), 145, 146 (rioting), 149, 188, 269, 270 of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of Maharashtra Police Act, Disaster Management Act and Maharashtra Prevention of Defacement of Property Act.
#UPDATE |Dharavi Police arrests one more accused, Iqrar Khan Vakhar Khan. FIR under IPC Sec 353, 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from duty), 427, 109, 114(Abettor present when offence committed), 143(unlawful assembly), 145, 146 (rioting), 149, 188, 269, 270
— ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2022
Students demanded online exams for classes 10 and 12
The students of classes 10 and 12 in Maharashtra have started protesting against the state government for not accepting their demand for online exams. Notably, schools and colleges are closed amidst Covid-19 spread in Maharashtra, including the capital Mumbai. The classes of classes 10 and 12 were conducted online. Now the students are demanding that the exams should be held in the same format. However, the state government wants to conduct the exams in schools and colleges the regular way.
The state government’s decision to conduct exams offline is being opposed by the students in several cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad. Amidst tug-of-war between the students and the state’s education department, social media influencer Hindustani Bhau had uploaded a video on Instagram and other social media platforms.
Hindustani Bhau urged students to protest on roads
In a video that was uploaded on January 24 on his YouTube channel, he said the current situation is not different from what the students had faced in the last two years. He further alleged the students are under depression because of the decision to conduction the exams offline. He said, “Last time I came to roads alone demanding cancellation of the exams and I am thankful to the government that they had obliged. However, if this time the government does not listen to our demands, I will not be alone. I will protest with lakhs of students from across the state.”
In a recent video, he had urged state education minister Varsha Gaikwad not to play with the lives of the students amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. He also urged the students to come out and protest on the roads. Following his video, thousands of students across cities in Maharashtra came out and started protesting. Hindustani Bhau himself had talked about protesting outside the education minister’s house along with lakhs of students.
Several videos made it to social media platforms where students could be seen protesting in large numbers.
#cancelboardexams2022 #hindustanibhau #westandwithbhau❤️🔥💪 pic.twitter.com/m5Yfmm8JGc
— Gaurav Singh (@gauravv2405) January 31, 2022
#hindustanibhau@VarshaEGaikwad #cancelexams2022 @khansiroffical1 pic.twitter.com/KJWaucQo8l
— Aditya Velhal (@velhal_aditya) January 31, 2022
#Mumbai: #SocialMedia influencer Vikas Fhatak, also known as ‘Hindustani Bhau’, arrested by #Dharavi #Police in connection with #StudentsProtest in Dharavi y’day over their demand for online exams for classes 10th & 12th, in view of #COVID19.#MumbaiPolice #Maharashtra #MVA pic.twitter.com/nhnxa0Rs5V
— Mumbai Tez News (@mumbaitez) February 1, 2022
During the protests, the crowd allegedly got out of control as a result, the Mumbai Police used batons to disperse the crowd.
#WATCH | Maharashtra: Students protested outside State School Education Minster Prof. Varsha Eknath Gaikwad’s house, against offline exams
— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2022
Students’ demand is online exams for classes 10th & 12th, in view of #COVID19 crisis. We tried convincing & dispersing them:DCP Pranay Ashok pic.twitter.com/ieqAmhq0rs
DCP Pranay Ashok told ANI that they tried to convince and disperse the students. When ANI questioned if the crowd gathered on the directions of Hindustani Bhau, DCP Ashok said, “An inquiry will be conducted & action will be taken.”
“We’ve been continuously discussing students’ health & safety. I told students to have discussions with me; I’ll decide further. But we also have to keep in mind the two-year loss in school students’ education”: Maharashtra School Education Minster Prof. Varsha Eknath Gaikwad pic.twitter.com/OJbp0PtkLT
— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2022
Maharashtra School Education Minster Prof. Varsha Eknath Gaikwad said, “We’ve been continuously discussing students’ health & safety. I told students to have discussions with me; I’ll decide further. But we also have to keep in mind the two-year loss in school students’ education.”
Bus workers’ strike adding up to students’ problems
The bus workers in Maharashtra are also on strike. In such a situation, the students said it would be troublesome for them to reach the examination centres. The students who come from rural areas would face more difficulty. In Beed, students took out a large rally. In Nagpur’s main market, the student protestors vandalized some buses as well. Some of the protesting students were detained by the Police.
