For protest seeking land for Dalits, 79-year-old ex-IPS officer spends 3 weeks in Gorakhpur jail

“The police and administration arrested me and the others because they don’t want such protests to happen again. They want to send a message,” Darapuri said, adding that booking them for attempt to murder was “an afterthought to keep the arrested persons in jail”.

“All the IPC sections mentioned in the FIR were bailable. So, they added the IPC section 307, which is non-bailable. The whole FIR was fictitious. There was no truth in any of the allegations. Our protest was peaceful and I was there for just one hour,” Darapuri told The Indian Express.

Darapuri was granted bail by the Gorakhpur Additional Sessions Court on October 28 and released from Gorakhpur jail on Tuesday evening. Three of the nine arrested are still in jail, waiting for their paperwork to be completed.

On his three weeks in jail, Darapuri said, “It was difficult because of my age and the health issues. I couldn’t sit because of Parkinson’s. And if I sat, I couldn’t get up. Plus, there was overcrowding in toilets. Since I have an issue in my prostate, I struggled.”

The October 10 protest was held under the banner of Ambedkar Jan Morcha, headed by activist Shravan Kumar Nirala.

“I reached Gorakhpur at 10 am on October 10. Then, I went to the protest site and left around 12.30 pm. I spoke for 10-15 minutes only. We were demanding the government to allot one acre of land to landless Dalit families,” said Darapuri, who has been actively raising the issue of land reforms and redistribution of land to backward sections of society, including Dalits, tribals and other communities.

“Land for the backward communities means honour and security. It is not just an asset. I think the UP government should allot land to landless Dalit families so they can be empowered,” said Darapuri, who is also the national president of All India People’s Front.

According to Darapuri, police kept him in illegal custody for 12 hours. “Police showed my arrest at 7 pm on October 11, when I was brought to the police station at 7 am that day. That’s illegal. The CCTV footage of the hotel, where I stayed, can be checked for corroboration,” said the former IPS officer.

Since the police had said the protesters were arrested as prohibitory orders were in place, Darapuri questioned the use of CrPC Section 144, which prohibits the gathering of four or more persons. “For section 144 to be in place, there is a process laid down. It should be advertised in the newspapers and there should be a proper public announcement. Neither was done here. Police can’t use it as per their wishes,” Darapuri said.

Asked about allegations levelled against police by Darapuri, Gorakhpur Circle Officer (Cantt) Manush Pareek said, “I can’t comment on the allegations. I have not received any complaint from anyone regarding these allegations. The case is under investigation and I can’t comment on it.”