Stadium turns prison and protest site

The first busload of protesters arrived at 9 am,picked up while protesting at Rajghat. As a steady stream of buses rolled past the heavily guarded gates after that,decibel levels inside the stadium rose steadily,protesters shouting “Vande Mataram” and “Inquilab Zindabad”.

Reporters were not allowed inside the stadium. Sukhdev Sharma (32) who said he was a salesman in Mumbai’s Zaveri Bazaar,said most people inside were from Maharashtra and Punjab.

By around 1 pm,a large crowd had gathered outside the gates of the stadium,drawn by TV reports of protesters being detained at the venue. However,most refused the police invitation to join their comrades inside the stadium. Sailesh Kumar,from Bihar,said,“If all of us give ourselves up,the movement will lose steam. Instead,we will block the road and make this our Jantar Mantar.”

As the afternoon progressed,police allowed protesters to stroll in and out of the stadium,after they had allowed themselves to be checked,and given their names and addresses. Protesters who were brought in from places like Rajghat,JP Park and Civil Lines,were,however,taken straight into the main stands and not allowed to come out.

Earlier in the morning,protesters squatted on the road in the Civil Lines area before they were shepherded into buses and driven to Chhatrasal Stadium. Some went willingly,some others had to be lifted and carried to buses.