Ashutosh Rana recalls his student politics days, says had beaten up cops who thrashed his friends in false eve teasing case: ‘When I was taken to police station…’

Indian Express Entertainment is now on WhatsApp Channels. Follow us for the latest news, interviews, reviews, photos and more

“One day I learnt from a friend that cops had beaten up two of our other friends. This was happening at Civil Lines so we rushed there and saw that two cops were beating them. Then the matter flipped, when I also started beating them (the cops). I knew then that this matter won’t be settled here. I asked my friend to run to the university and gather students, before we are taken to the police station. We had our English exams the next day!”

Ashutosh Rana, who was tiptoeing around sharing specific details of the incident, gave a sheepish smile when asked to elaborate about it in detail and said, “I feel like I was a different person then!” The actor recalled how a mobile squad, which consisted of jawans, came to the location and he knew things would further heat up.

“I knew if I run, they will beat me and bring me back from the point they catch me. So it was better to directly sit in the van. There was absolute chaos there. By the time I reached the police station, close to 1,500 students had surrounded it. Calls were made by politicians; it was decided that I won’t be locked up inside as I had my English exams the next day. So, I was put in a room, with windows open, where I studied with the boys. The cops were adamant that they won’t let me go.”

The actor, however, said because he was also someone who was “loved by the powerful” (Ashutosh was a student leader), he was taken to the magistrate’s bungalow at 6 am the next day, where he was granted bail.

“I sat for the exams and immediately after that, we sat on a hunger strike at civil line sto, calling for the suspension of the cops. Those students had not done any even teasing and yet were beaten up. Eve teasing is a terrible thing to do and boys of our group were never involved in it.

“The issue became very big. We reached Indore where the then CM was attending a function. We barged in, sat in his car and said you are not paying attention to what is happening. They were then eventually transferred,” he said. Eventually, when students’ politics was banned from colleges, Ashutosh said he felt “broken and aimless”, but then headed to Delhi, where he joined the National School of Drama (NSD).