Journalist and activist Nachiketa Desai on Wednesday was detained for nearly four hours by city police for observing fast against Citizenship Amendment Act outside Sabarmati Ashram. Earlier, he was denied permission to hold his fast from Ashram precinct by the concerned officials and was persuaded to leave the campus. Nachiketa is also a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi's personal secretary Mahadev Desai and son of Narayan Desai, who was known for his Gandhi Katha, live stories surrounding Gandhi's life.
It was moments after he sat on fast outside the Ashram, the police removed him from the spot and took him away to Ranip police station. Sudarshan Iyenger, one of the trustees of Sabarmati Ashram Memorial and Preservation and Trust (SAMPT), told DH that "We denied him permission that Ashram never allows anyone to protest inside its precinct. The trustees have long back decided that we will not allow any such activities from the premises."
The police officers said that once they came to know about the fast which detained Desai as he didn't have permission. When it was asked that Desai was sitting on fast alone, the cops said that "It was preventive detention on the suspicion and many people might join him eventually." Ashram officials said over a decade, the trustees passed a resolution that banned live protests from the ashram. The resolution was passed after several controversies beginning 2002 following post-Godhra riots.
A day before, BJP, RSS and other organisations had taken out a mega rally in support of the citizenship bill. The rally was led by chief minister Vijay Rupani. Last week, from the same place, a large number of students and activists had staged a protest against CAA and National Register of Citizens.