00:00I have with me Mr. Brittas, CPIM MP.
00:03Mr. Brittas, you know, for the benefit of our viewers,
00:05would you like to take us through on what happened with you yesterday?
00:08Because the visuals that we saw of you seem very distressing.
00:18See, Priti, whatever has happened to me, it's on camera.
00:23The entire media was there in Cunard Circus.
00:27As you can make out, I was there yesterday, 12.40, 12.45.
00:33Hearing that, there was a clampdown on student activists.
00:38But by the time I reached there, they were all whisked away, taken away.
00:42And the entire media was there.
00:45And since media was asking my response with regard to the Supreme Court,
00:50stand-alone, civil liberties, metro coast down, international shutdown,
00:54I was just speaking to the media.
00:57While I was addressing the media, suddenly,
01:00the lead police officials, accompanied by CRPF,
01:03came and just took me away.
01:06I tried to explain to them, saying,
01:08then I am not violating any rule or law.
01:11In fact, the prohibitory order says that
01:14four or more people being assembled, I was alone there.
01:17And neither had any argument with a police officer, nor I went near a barricade.
01:25I was just on the streets talking to the media.
01:28But they didn't hit me.
01:30Despite the media persons telling them,
01:32he's a member of parliament, I myself explaining,
01:35they know that I'm a member of parliament,
01:37they dragged me and virtually took me to a police van there,
01:43then drove off.
01:44They just threw me to the van,
01:46and they spinned down me on the seat,
01:48three, four CRP officials.
01:51And I can tell you one thing,
01:52I was literally shocked,
01:54because I never expected anything like that,
01:56because I was not part of a protest.
01:58I just went there as a public function.
02:02And moreover, I was talking to the media person.
02:06See, the police van went on for two, three kilometers,
02:10and suddenly I got a call from the DCP,
02:13Mr. Satin Sharma, I think, DCP, New Delhi.
02:17And there was a boy there from Jharkhand,
02:20who also was taken and put in the van.
02:22So since I was not in a position to take the phone,
02:25I asked the boy, please pick up the phone.
02:28So since I saw his name,
02:30I asked him to hand out the phone to the police officer,
02:33who was in the van,
02:35supervising all this, orchestrating all this clampdown.
02:38And I could overhear DCP talking to him,
02:42saying there,
02:42something like that.
02:45So you'll have to drop him fast,
02:47immediately release him.
02:48No point in taking him to any police station or Tana.
02:51Please, please release him immediately.
02:53And suddenly their mood changed.
02:55But by that time I was not in a position to,
02:57I mean even breathe,
02:59because of all these issues
03:01and being pinned down to the seat, etc.
03:06And they conveniently took me around
03:09and quite away from the media cameras,
03:13they dumped me on the road.
03:16I was not in a position to walk.
03:17I had to sit on the footsteps of the van.
03:21And then the policeman understood
03:23that I was not in a good position.
03:26And he tried to put me into an auto-richer
03:29so that I can be taken to a hospital.
03:33Now,
03:34in the meantime,
03:35I regained my combustion
03:37and I got out of the auto-richer.
03:39By the time my driver and my staff members came
03:41and I proceeded to the hospital
03:43because my general secretary also came.
03:45So I was literally shocked
03:48because if at all I was part of a protest,
03:52if at all I had violated any of the rules and regulations.
03:56And the bizarre aspect of this is that
04:00this act of Delhi police and CRPF happened
04:04maybe two hours after the Supreme Court pronouncement
04:07saying that peaceful protest is part of your fundamental right
04:11and you need to ensure that metros run,
04:16trains should not be cancelled,
04:18internet should be restored.
04:20But see,
04:21this is how the Delhi police functions.
04:24And I don't understand
04:25what was the role of the CRPF there.
04:28See,
04:28just for a person like me,
04:30they had to just pounce on me.
04:33These should be the people
04:34who should be guarding our borders.
04:37For them,
04:38the adversaries
04:39are the people of this country.
04:41I could hear a BGP spokesperson
04:44calling all of us
04:45anti-socialists
04:47and anti-nationalists.
04:48And I know there are many other adjectives
04:52like Andolan G.B.,
04:53Urban Naxalist,
04:54Demarkey Naxalist,
04:56all sort of things they call us.
04:57But I can tell you one thing.
04:59This is an issue of
05:01reclaiming the democratic space of this country,
05:05restoring the sanity,
05:07ensuring that the institutions function
05:10as per what has been emphasized by the constitution.
05:14So,
05:15this protest will go on.
05:16How our hand they try to,
05:18I mean,
05:19suppress us,
05:20oppress us,
05:21we will not budge an inch.
05:23Because,
05:24this is not for any political party.
05:26I have my difference with Congress party.
05:29We have our own differences
05:30amongst the position rank.
05:32And we don't see it as a A party,
05:34B party,
05:35or C party,
05:35how it is going to benefit
05:37B or a political party.
05:39It's for this nation.
05:40Because enough is enough.
05:42We need to regain it.
05:44See,
05:45I could see even
05:46journalists being taken away
05:48and dumped into police vans.
05:50I was detained in forest today
05:52in Mandramark police station.
05:55And I could see
05:56the so-called jail model vans
05:58are being made there.
06:01Welded grills are being put in there.
06:03For what?
06:04I was in Mandramark
06:06detained for eight hours
06:07along with the former
06:08chief minister of Kerala.
06:11A chief minister for 10 years,
06:1380 years old man
06:14who was under strict medication
06:16or the senior most politicians.
06:18We were driven
06:19in Delhi roads
06:20for three and a half hours.
06:22Right.
06:23Proper food was not given.
06:25We were pleading with the police
06:26that he have some food.
06:28It was 2.30,
06:302.45
06:31that we were taken
06:32to Mandramark police station.
06:33He had to take
06:35a chapati
06:36which was
06:37given me a policeman.
06:38So this is the plight
06:40of this country.
06:41I don't know
06:41where this country is treading.
06:43They can address us
06:44as anti-socialists.
06:46If it suits them,
06:47I am very happy
06:48to don't that title on me.
06:51Right.
06:56Right, sir.
06:57And I am glad
06:58you are feeling better.
07:00Thank you for detailing
07:01what you went through.
