Published Jul 28, 2026 | 9:21 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 28, 2026 | 9:21 PM
John Brittas MP in confrontation with Delhi Police personnel at AKG Bhavan on Tuesday
Synopsis: A dramatic confrontation unfolded at CPI(M) headquarters in New Delhi after Delhi Police attempted to detain SFI leader Aishe Ghosh in connection with a 2021 case. But they had to withdraw following stiff resistance from party leaders who questioned the legality of the move. The incident has triggered a political row, with the CPI(M) alleging that the action was an attempt to intimidate student leaders involved in the recent Jantar Mantar protests, while the police maintain that they were acting in connection with a pending court case.
A confrontation between the Delhi Police and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders unfolded at the party’s national headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday, 28 July after officers attempted to take Students’ Federation of India (SFI) Delhi secretary and former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president Aishe Ghosh into custody.
The move triggered a tense stand-off at AKG Bhavan. As word of the development spread, CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby, Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas and other senior leaders rushed to the headquarters.
Eventually, the police were forced to withdraw, at least for the time being.
However, the episode quickly turned into a political flashpoint.
Senior CPI(M) leaders accused the Narendra Modi government of using the police machinery to intimidate student activists who had recently spearheaded protests demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities and the NEET paper leak.
According to CPI(M) leaders present at the headquarters, a Delhi Police team, accompanied by women personnel, arrived at AKG Bhavan in connection with a case registered against Ghosh in 2021.
Aishe Ghosh during the protest at Jantar Mantar
Party leaders alleged that the officers came in a private vehicle and that some of them were not in uniform.
They further claimed the police neither produced the legal documents authorising the proposed arrest nor clearly explained the basis on which they intended to take Ghosh into custody.
The police move was immediately challenged by CPI(M) leaders and SFI activists inside the premises.
Eyewitnesses described a prolonged exchange between the police team and the party leadership.
CPI(M) leaders questioned the legality of the action and maintained that Ghosh could not be detained without proper legal procedure. They also assured the police that she would appear before the court if required, but claimed the officers were initially unwilling to accept the proposal.
The confrontation continued for some time before the police eventually left AKG Bhavan without arresting Ghosh.
Delhi Police has maintained that its action was linked to a case pending before a court. However, it remains unclear whether any warrant or notice relating to Ghosh’s alleged non-appearance had been issued before the officers arrived at the CPI(M) headquarters.
Party leaders described the attempt to directly arrest an accused in a years-old case pending before a court as highly unusual and said greater legal clarity was needed regarding the circumstances that prompted the police action.
Soon after the incident, the CPI(M) alleged that the attempted detention was politically motivated and directly linked to Ghosh’s participation in the recent student mobilisation at Jantar Mantar, where protesters demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities and the NEET paper leak.
The party also pointed to a report published by the RSS-affiliated publication Organizer, which carried a list of participants in the protest and portrayed them as offenders.
John Brittas with Aishe Ghosh
According to the CPI(M), the police action followed soon afterwards despite earlier assurances from the Union government that no retaliatory measures would be taken against those who had participated in the demonstration.
In a Facebook post, CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby described the episode as “a dangerous assault on democratic norms.”
“The illegal attempt by the Delhi Police to enter the CPI(M) Headquarters, AKG Bhavan, to arrest SFI leader Aishe Ghosh is a dangerous assault on democratic norms,” he said.
Baby alleged that the police had arrived in a private vehicle, with some personnel not even in uniform, and said the attempt was thwarted after John Brittas and other party leaders forcefully challenged the officers.
He further claimed that Ghosh had been under continuous surveillance for several days, describing it as part of “a blatant campaign of intimidation against student leaders.”
“Such methods have no place in a democracy. The Modi government is using the police to criminalise dissent and silence those raising their voice against injustice instead of answering the legitimate concerns of students,” he said, adding that the CPI(M) would continue to resist what he called attempts to trample democratic rights.
The CPI(M), in a statement posted on X, accused the Delhi Police of forcibly entering AKG Bhavan in an attempt to arrest Ghosh.
“The illegal attempt was firmly resisted by CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, who forcefully intervened to stop the police from carrying out this unlawful action,” the party said.
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John Brittas also launched a sharp attack on the police action in a separate post on X.
A poster from SFI CEC following the attempted action against Aishe Ghosh
“What blatant arrogance! Police are arriving to make arrests wearing neither uniforms nor nameplates, and the Delhi Police have barged into a political party office without permission,” he wrote.
Calling the action retaliatory, Brittas said Ghosh was being targeted because she had emerged as one of the prominent faces of the recent student agitation.
“This hasty action against one of the faces of the students’ agitation, former JNU Students’ Union President and SFI leader Aishe Ghosh, is purely retaliation for her leading the historic protest that forced the Central Government to yield,” he said.
He further alleged that the Centre was attempting to intimidate those who participated in the Jantar Mantar demonstration by signalling that they would face imprisonment.
CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and Kerala Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan also condemned the police action, describing it as a serious violation of democratic principles and constitutional rights.
He said the attempt by the Delhi Police to enter the CPI(M) Central Committee office and arrest Ghosh in connection with an old case pending before a court amounted to a challenge to the rule of law.
According to Vijayan, the action appeared to be an act of political revenge following what he described as the setback suffered by the Union government and the Sangh Parivar during the Jantar Mantar protests.
“It is a delusion to think that the struggle of the student movements in the country can be confined in false cases and that those who question and express dissent can be silenced by intimidating them,” he said.
He asserted that SFI and other Left student organisations would not bow before repression and called upon democratic forces across the country to protest against the police action. He also expressed solidarity with Ghosh and SFI activists.
The SFI Central Executive Committee likewise condemned what it called an attempt to “witch hunt” one of its senior leaders.
In a statement, the organisation said Ghosh had been among the leading student leaders of the nationwide protests that culminated in the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and alleged that the police action marked the beginning of a wider crackdown on those associated with the movement.
It claimed that participants in the Jantar Mantar protest were facing arrests, criminal cases and other forms of repression in several parts of the country, including Patna, Kolkata, Guwahati and Kerala.
Describing the development as evidence of the Narendra Modi government’s intolerance towards dissent, the SFI accused the Union government of seeking revenge against students and youth instead of addressing their concerns.
The organisation further alleged that the actions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah reflected an attempt to suppress democratic dissent through state power. It maintained that the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had only intensified efforts to target those who led the protests.
Declaring that students would not be intimidated, the SFI said it would continue to resist what it called attempts by the Delhi Police and the Union government to target student activists through arrests and criminal proceedings.
With the police leaving AKG Bhavan empty-handed after facing stiff resistance from the CPI(M) leadership, the confrontation has added another layer to the growing political dispute surrounding the recent student protests and the government’s response to them.
