Campaign Against State Repression accuses Delhi Police of picking up student leaders and labour rights campaigners in covert operations over two days, with no official confirmation of their locations or safety.

The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) has raised alarm over the sudden disappearance of 10 activists in Delhi. The coalition, comprising student bodies, trade unions and civil rights groups, described the incidents as “abductions” by plain-clothes personnel believed to be from the Delhi Police or allied agencies. Lawyers have already approached the Delhi High Court.

Timeline of the Alleged Pick-Ups

The first reported incident occurred around 1 PM on 12 March outside Dyal Singh College near the JLN Metro station. Ms Ilakkiya, a Delhi University Master’s student in Psychology affiliated with Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch (BSCEM), and Shiv Kumar of Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan (MAS) had arrived to meet faculty member Sachin N to plan Anti-Imperialism Week activities. After lunch in the college canteen, they stepped out of the gate.

Shopkeepers told CASR that a woman in civilian clothes and three to four men in plain clothes forcibly bundled Ilakkiya into a Scorpio vehicle with VIP lights. Shiv Kumar had apparently been taken moments earlier. Ilakkiya’s last message to Sachin N was sent at 1 PM; her phone was switched off by 1:30 PM. Neither activist has contacted family, friends or colleagues since.

Later the same day, Manjeet, another MAS activist, went missing after attending a CASR press conference at the Press Club of India demanding the release of lawyer Surendra Gadling, imprisoned in the Bhima Koregaon case. His phone too went off while he was returning home.

On the night of 13 March, seven more activists were reportedly picked up from the BSCEM office in Vijay Nagar near Delhi University’s North Campus: Akshay, Drishti, Rudra, Kiran and Gaurav (all BSCEM) and Badal and Ehtemam of the Forum Against Corporatisation and Militarisation (FACAM). Local residents confirmed the presence of police personnel at the site.

Profiles of the Missing Activists

The group includes two labour rights campaigners, two anti-displacement activists and six students. Ilakkiya, Kiran and Akshay were earlier arrested in November 2025 during an India Gate protest against Delhi’s severe air pollution and spent a month in Tihar Jail. Shiv Kumar was arrested during the Singhu Border farmers’ protest alongside Nodeep Kaur; the Punjab and Haryana High Court later recorded that he was kept in illegal confinement for a week in 2021 at the CIA office in Sonepat and suffered multiple fractures and injuries. Justice Deepak Gupta had noted the custodial torture and held an inspector responsible.

Ehtemam, Badal and Gaurav were allegedly picked up by the Delhi Police Special Cell eight months ago and kept in illegal custody for over a week, during which they claimed they were tortured. Manjeet, Drishti and Rudra have no prior recorded arrests but are active in labour and student movements.

Sachin N told The Federal: “I received the last message from them around 1 PM. When I called back at 1:30 PM, they did not pick up… When there was still no news till night, that’s when things started getting worrying.”

Pattern of Repression Raises Alarm

CASR described the events as part of a “repeated pattern” of targeting democratic voices. The organisation pointed out that several of the activists have faced previous illegal detention, torture and prolonged incarceration for participating in peaceful protests against corporate policies, militarisation and environmental crises. The coalition warned that such disappearances pose a “direct threat to democratic rights, civil liberties and the right to dissent”.

Deepak Kumar of CASR stated that inquiries with local vendors confirmed a “scuffle” involving plain-clothes personnel. No official FIR or missing-person complaint has been acknowledged by the police so far. The Federal reached out to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-West) but received no response by the time of publication.

Court Hearing and Public Appeal

CASR has demanded:

• Immediate disclosure of the whereabouts of all ten activists — Ilakkiya, Shiv Kumar, Manjeet, Akshay, Drishti, Rudra, Kiran, Gaurav, Badal and Ehtemam;
• Assurance of their physical safety;
• Unrestricted access to legal counsel and family members;
• Accountability for the authorities involved.

The organisation has appealed to students, teachers, trade unions and civil society to raise their voices.

The case once again spotlights concerns over alleged extra-legal methods used against dissenters. With no word from the authorities and phones switched off, families and comrades continue to wait in anguish, fearing the worst in a city where the right to protest appears increasingly under siege.