Some said the arrests in Delhi over the posters indicate a “lawless state gone amuck”.

New Delhi:

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, along with a bunch of other Congress leaders, today hit out at the Centre over reports of several people being arrested in Delhi for merely putting up posters critical of the government’s handling of the Covid crisis.

“Arrest Me Too,” Mr Gandhi tweeted today in both English and Hindi, along with the “white Hindi words on black background” poster that led to the arrests. It read: “Modi ji, why did you send vaccines meant for our children, abroad?”

Arrest me too.

मुझे भी गिरफ़्तार करो। pic.twitter.com/eZWp2NYysZ

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 16, 2021

At least 17 people have been arrested by the Delhi police over posters that came up in the past few days in the capital criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Delhi police, according to ANI, has said it had also registered around 21 cases under the Defacement of Public Property Act & Section 188 in the matter relating to the posters.

India has reported more than 3 lakh infections a day over the past three weeks, overwhelming its health care system and leaving many without hospital beds, oxygen and adequate treatment.

Yet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has faced widespread criticism for appearing more intent on addressing the bad publicity because of the missteps than solving the crisis.

Governments in several states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh have been accused of trying to hide their casualties as hundreds of bodies have been seen floating in rivers and buried in the sand by the banks.

Besides Mr Gandhi, several others have criticised the arrests saying it indicates a “lawless state gone amuck”.

Am shocked &stunned. May vehemently disagree bt under what authority, what law, wht power can U arrest those who put up posters eg auto driver, printer, daily wager etc. This, like UP arrest of person who complained on losing his father, smacks of a lawless state gone amuck!

— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) May 16, 2021

Celebrate, India is a free country. There is freedom of speech

Except, when you ask a question of the Honourable Prime Minister

That is why the Delhi Police arrested 24 persons for allegedly pasting a poster in Delhi

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) May 16, 2021