The Uttarakhand High Court has asked the state government and police to explain why a social activist was detained right after boarding a train and stopped from joining an ongoing protest in Delhi. The case is linked to the demonstration by Sonam Wangchuk and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar, which an activist from Uttarakhand had set out to join.
Who is Prabhag Dhyani, and what happened
The activist at the centre of the case is Prabhag Dhyani, president of the Uttarakhand Parivartan Party. He had posted on Facebook that he was heading to Delhi to join the protest at Jantar Mantar in support of Sonam Wangchuk and CJP. He boarded a train from Rishikesh along with two companions for the trip, but nothing was known of his whereabouts for hours afterward.
Picked up at the station, family left in the dark
According to his family, some policemen took Prabhag Dhyani away from Rishikesh railway station on Sunday evening at around 5:15 pm. Neither where he was being held nor the reason for his detention was communicated to the family for a long stretch of time afterward. The party secretary subsequently filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court, arguing that the police had disclosed neither the grounds for detention, nor his location, nor his condition, which the petition said violated both the law and the Constitution.
State's claim in court, and the bench's pointed questions
During the hearing, the state government's counsel informed the court that Prabhag Dhyani had been released and was currently in his mother's custody. The High Court questioned this response sharply, asking why an adult man was handed over to his mother's custody instead of simply being set free. The court directed the state government to produce all documents relating to his detention and release, and to clarify exactly which legal provision was invoked to stop him.
The warrant claim and the wife's unanswered email
The petition also claims that Prabhag Dhyani was held on the basis of a warrant with the Ramnagar police. His wife, Uma Rani, sent an email seeking information about his detention, but received no response. The family alleges that the police neither took their complaint seriously nor shared any verified details about the detention. The next hearing in the case has been fixed for Tuesday, meaning today, when the state government will need to present its full response along with the relevant documents.
