Organising committee of Jashn-E-Ekta says police wanted no reference to CAA and removal of two Ambedkarite bands from line-up.
The band Yalgaar
A New Year Eve event, Jashn-E-Ekta, focusing on the struggle against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), to be held at the Carter Road Amphitheatre in Bandra West on Tuesday, was denied police permission over feasibility issues. The organisers, however, have claimed that this is a way of silencing the rising voices against the CAA.
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The musical event, also called Unity Rocks, was planned by Mumbai Against CAB and Hum Bharat Ke Log. News about the event was being spread among the youth through social media. A statement by Jashn-E-Ekta's organising committee on Tuesday said police backtracked after agreeing to the event and asking them to come for formalities on Monday. It added that police had issues with the event's line-up.
"The organising team was asked to remove every reference of protest against the CAA," the statement read further. It also claimed that after the "involvement of the (Mumbai police) commissioner", cops wanted to scrutinise the content of the event and had issues with two bands — Yalgaar and Samta Kala Manch.
Lawyer and activist Lara Jesani said, "Both performers are Ambedkarites and talk about caste and class struggles through their music. We could not have agreed to such a clause as it was against the ethos of our program, which talks about unity."
Mumbai police spokesperson, deputy commissioner of police Pranay Ashok, said, "Today being December 31, city roads will be crowded, especially in areas like Carter Road. It is a sensitive day and we have heavy deployment. A program like this on Carter Road did not seem feasible as it would have inconvenienced people." When asked if police asked organisers to drop certain performers, Ashok said, "I do not know if such a point was discussed. Unless there is anything in writing, we cannot comment."
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