New Delhi: As protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) fanned across the nation on Thursday, several parts of New Delhi, Mangalore and Lucknow were turned into fortresses and scores of people, including politicians, activists and students, were detained.
Friday is also likely to witness massive protests with reports of sit-in demonstrations and rallies emerging from Delhi, Bengaluru and Aligarh, where a red alert has been sounded.
Here’s all you need to know about your rights in case of a detention by the police:
• First and foremost, getting detained is not the same as getting arrested. The former means you have not been charged with any crime, but are being kept in police custody for certain reasons. A detained person can be questioned by the police. An arrest takes place only when a person is being charged for a crime.
• The person must be produced before the Magistrate within 24 hours of being detained.
• The women must be detained separately from men and only by a female police officer. Also, women can be detained only after sunrise and before sunset.
• The detainees also have the right to know why they are being taken into police custody and where they are being taken.
• They can speak to the Station House Officer (SHO) about the sections under which the action is being taken.
• They can ask the police to call their lawyer. They also have the right to ask for a lawyer to be present when they are being questioned. They also have the right to remain silent as anything they say may be used against them in the court of law.
• They have the right to remain silent and not sign any paper/bonds as asked by the police.
• In case of injuries, they can request for medical assistance.
• The policemen are prohibited by law to take away the belongings of the detained person.
• The detained must make it a point to inform friends/family about where they are being taken by the cops.
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