PANAJI
Celebrations at Azad Maidan on Saturday to mark the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan took a dramatic turn when Goa Police detained a youth for allegedly displaying a placard reading “Free Omar Khalid.”
Eyewitnesses said the youth was stopped by police, questioned about his identity, and then escorted to the Panaji Police Station.
His detention sparked immediate protests within the crowd, with students and activists chanting “Release Danish” in demand of his release.
The evening saw further tension when a separate altercation broke out between members of the media and protesters where witnesses said, one protester allegedly referred to journalists present as “Godi Media” triggering a heated verbal exchange and a scuffle.
Police intervened and the protester was also taken to the station.
Earlier in the day, students and youth who gathered at Azad Maidan to celebrate Pradhan’s resignation hailed it as a victory for the nationwide agitation over exam leaks and education reforms.
A group also distributed 'Melody' toffees in an apparent satirical reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifting a packet of those to his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni during his last visit to the European country.
