CASR strongly Condemns the abduction of 10 activists, including 2 labour rights activists, 2 anti-displacement activists, and 6 students by Delhi Police, whose whereabouts remain unknown
On 12 March 2026, Ms Ilakkiya, a Delhi University student pursuing her Master’s in Psychology and associated with the student organisation BSCEM, along with Mr Shiv Kumar, a labour rights activist associated with Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, had come to Dyal Singh College to meet Sachin N (faculty member, former elected executive of Delhi University Teachers’ Association, Academic Council member, and part of the Common Teachers’ Forum). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss organising activities for Anti-Imperialism Week.
They reached the campus around 12:00 pm. As the faculty member they were to meet was running late, they had lunch at the college canteen. When they stepped out of the campus around 1:00 pm, they were reportedly picked up by unidentified personnel believed to be from a state agency outside the Dyal Singh College gate near the JLN Metro station.
Shopkeepers in the area reported that a woman agent in civil clothes forcibly escorted Ms Ilakkiya into a waiting Scorpio vehicle around 1 pm. Ms Ilakkiya reportedly tried to shout something, but the incident happened very quickly. It appears that Mr Shiv Kumar had been taken into the vehicle earlier. Witnesses stated that 3–4 individuals in plain clothes were involved and the vehicle carried VIP lights. Ms Ilakkiya had messaged the faculty member around 1 pm asking how long it would take him to arrive. When he called her back around 1:30 pm, her phone had already been switched off. Local shopkeepers later informed the beat police officer of the area about the incident. However, both Ms Ilakkiya and Mr Shiv Kumar remain untraceable and have not contacted their friends, family members, or colleagues since then.
In addition, Manjeet, an activist associated with Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, has also been missing since yesterday. He was last seen returning home after attending a programme organised by Campaign Against State Repression demanding the release of imprisoned lawyer Surendra Gadling, who remains incarcerated in the Bhima Koregaon case.
Furthermore, we have received alarming information that several more students and activists were picked up by Delhi Police last night around 8 pm from the office of the student organisation BSCEM in Vijay Nagar near Delhi University North Campus, as confirmed by local residents. These include Akshay, Drishti, Rudra, Kiran, and Gaurav from BSCEM, as well as Badal and Ehtemam from the Forum Against Corporatisation and Militarisation (FACAM).
It must also be noted that Mr Shiv Kumar was earlier arrested during the Singhu Border farmers’ protest along with labour rights activist Nodeep Kaur. During that time, he was brutally tortured in custody, and his case regarding custodial torture is still pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
In its observations, Justice Deepak Gupta of the Punjab and Haryana High Court noted that Shiv Kumar had been kept in illegal confinement from January 16 to January 23, and was only later shown as arrested. During this period of illegal custody, torture was meted out to him at the CIA office in Sonepat, and further torture continued during police remand.
The High Court further stated that he was “badly tortured” by the police, suffering numerous injuries across various parts of his body, including fractures. Shiv Kumar was examined five times prior to his medical examination at GMCH-32, which took place almost a month after he was shown arrested. This medical examination was ordered by the High Court. The report also held Inspector Ravinder, in-charge of the CIA unit, responsible for the torture, despite his denial that Shiv Kumar had ever been brought to the CIA office.Shiv Kumar has still not fully recovered from that brutal torture, and the fact that he has now been abducted again raises extremely serious concerns about his safety and well-being.
It is also important to note that Ms Ilakkiya, Kiran, and Akshay were arrested in November last year after a protest at India Gate against the severe air pollution in Delhi. They were released from Tihar Jail after one month of incarceration.
It is further important to recall that just eight months ago, Ehtemam, Badal, and Gaurav were abducted by the Delhi Police Special Cell in a similar manner and were brutally tortured for more than a week in illegal custody. The repetition of such incidents raises serious concerns about a pattern of repression and unlawful detention targeting activists and democratic voices.
Given these circumstances, there is serious apprehension that they may have been illegally abducted by some state agency.
CASR views these developments with deep alarm and concern. The targeting, disappearance, and intimidation of students and activists poses a direct threat to democratic rights, civil liberties, and the right to dissent.
CASR Demands
• Immediate disclosure of the whereabouts of Ms Ilakkiya, Mr Shiv Kumar, and Manjeet.
• Assurance of their safety and physical well-being.
• Immediate access to legal counsel and communication with their families.
• Accountability from the concerned authorities for these unlawful actions.
The Campaign Against State Repression calls upon students, teachers, trade unions, civil society organisations, and democratic citizens to raise their voices and demand accountability.
Where are Ilakkiya, Shiv Kumar, Manjeet, Akshay, Drishti, Rudra, Kiran, Gaurav, Badal, and Ehtemam? The authorities must immediately disclose their whereabouts and ensure their safety.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST STATE REPRESSION
(AIRSO,AISF, APCR, ASA, BASF, BSM, Bhim Army, bsCEM, CEM, COLLECTIVE, CRPP, CSM, CTF, DISSC, DSU, DTF, Forum Against Repression Telangana, Fraternity, IAPL, Innocence Network, Karnataka Janashakti, LAA, Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, Mazdoor Patrika, NAPM, Nazariya Magazine , Nishant Natya Manch, Nowruz, NTUI, People’s Watch, Rihai Manch, Samajwadi Janparishad, Smajwadi lok manch, Bahujan Samjavadi Mnach, United Peace Alliance, WSS, Y4S)
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