Stalin, Haasan criticise police action against Guha, Yadav

Opposition DMK and MNM on Thursday criticised the police action against historian Ramchandra Guha and Swaraj Abhiyaan chief Yogendra Yadav during the anti-CAA protests, with Kamal Haasan expressing "concern" over their safety.

Yadav and Guha were detained by the police in Delhi and Bengaluru, respectively.

While DMK President M K Stalin slammed the "high-handedness" of police over their arrest, Haasan said he was applauding with "glee the stupidity of the government for stoking the fire of Satyagaraha by arresting" Guha and Yadav.

"I condemn the high-handedness of the Government authorities & police officials who have arrested @Ram_Guha & @_YogendraYadav," Stalin wrote on Twitter.

Further, he opposed the suspension of internet in parts of Delhi, saying it "goes against free speech."

"When the space for dissent shrinks, dictatorship replaces democracy. #CAAProtest," the Tamil Nadu Leader of Opposition added.

Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Haasan, who has been vociferous in his opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, also slammed the police action against Guha and Yadav.

"I applaud with glee at the stupidity of the government for stoking the fire of Satyagraha by arresting the thinking and questioning minds of India like @Ram_Guha & @_YogendraYadav," he said in the tweet.

"Yet I am concerned for their safety. India stands with you," he added.

Yadav was among those protesters who were detained by the Delhi Police near Red Fort when they tried to take out a march in defiance of the prohibitory orders imposed to protest the amended Citizenship Act.

Guha, a noted historian, was detained in Bengaluru when he and many others defied prohibitory orders to protest against the CAA.

He was removed by some police personnel and led to a nearby vehicle.

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had, however, expressed surprise over the detention of Guha, and instructed police to exercise restraint against the agitators.