Delhi Police tried to arrest Aisha Ghosh, SFI claims

CPI(M) MP John Brittas talks to police trying to arrest SFI leader Aishe Ghosh at the party office in New Delhi on July 28, 2026. Image: X/@cpimspeak

The Students Federation of India (SFI) said on Tuesday (28 July 2026) that the Delhi Police has attempted to arrest its national joint secretary Aisha Ghosh, one of the prominent faces of the recently ended Jantar Mantar protest, in connection with the 2021 protest case.

The SFI, the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), said its members resisted arrest when police raided the party office at AKG Bhavan. Police later left without taking her into custody.

“SFI joint national secretary Aisha, who was one of the leading student leaders in the recent wave of protests that resulted in Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, is being witch-hunted by the Delhi Police,” SFI said in a statement.

According to Sachin Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi), a local court issued a non-bailable warrant against Ms Ghosh in connection with the 2021 case after she failed to appear several times. The next hearing date is July 30. “We were only following the orders of the court,” he said, without divulging details of the case.

Delhi Police forcefully entered CPI(M) headquarters, AKG Bhavan, in an attempt to arrest SFI leaders @aishe_ghosh.
The illegal attempt was resolutely resisted by the CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP @JohnBrittaswho intervened vigorously to prevent the police from this unlawful act. pic.twitter.com/PMr1jgxsmn

— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) July 28, 2026

CPI(M) MP John Brittas had earlier said, “Today, the police in Delhi raided the office of the CPI(M), which is a national party. They wanted to take Aishe Ghosh into custody. She was one of the faces of the Jantar Mantar agitation. They say there is a warrant for her arrest related to the 2021 case.”

He added: “I checked with the police and they said there was a warrant for her arrest. The warrant was given over the phone. The warrant can’t be given over the phone, it should be given in person. Now they intend to send a message to all the students who participated in the agitation.”

Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly and former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the police tried to “forcefully enter the CPI(M) Central Committee office” to arrest Ms Ghosh, as a result of the SFI’s active participation in the Jantar Mantar protest.

He said: “Such blatant abuse of power reflects the growing intolerance of dissent by the BJP-led Union government. This is the moment for everyone who believes in democracy to speak out. Attempts to intimidate and criminalize dissent must be resisted and the constitutional right to protest must be defended.”

Published – 28 Jul 2026 22:04 IST