On July 20, hours after students marching to Parliament were beaten up by the police in Delhi, Mumbai student Preeti Kamble headed to Shivaji Park in the heart of the island city.

Kamble, who recently passed her Class 12 exams and is preparing to join college, wanted to demonstrate her solidarity with other students. “A close friend of mine is preparing for the NEET exam,” she said, referring to the national-level medical entrance test.

The Cockroach Janta Party-led protest in Delhi is demanding that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign for mishandling the national NEET-UG exam for seats in medical colleges.

Kamble explained: “Her parents have put their entire savings into her education. I decided to show up at the protest site so I could do my bit to ensure she does not face what other NEET students did.”

But Kamble was detained by the police even before she could reach the protest site or shout any slogans.

She was taken to the Kalachowkie police station, in the south-eastern part of the city. “They took my name, phone number and address and let me go,” Kamble said.

But the police action did not end there. The next day, Kamble got a call from her local police station in Amboli in northern Mumbai...

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