The roads outside the Gujarat University, where the protest was held, swarmed with policemen, police vans and patrolling vehicles since the afternoon. While it was not clear who announced it, the demonstration was scheduled around 6 pm. Hundreds of young men and women took part in a demonstration held in solidarity with activist Sonam Wangchuk and Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, here on Wednesday.The roads outside the Gujarat University, where the protest was held, swarmed with policemen, police vans and patrolling vehicles since the afternoon. While it was not clear who announced it, the demonstration was scheduled around 6 pm.Even as the number of protesters who walked the several lanes and bylanes around the university to join the call swelled, police prevented people from congregating and detained those who held placards and shouted slogans.Among those detained was Jignya Vyas, a popular Gujarati theatre actor who got into a police van reciting the famous lines by Shailendra—”Tu zinda hai toh zindagi ki jeet pe yakeen kar”.Her husband Saumya Joshi, a renowned Gujarati writer, poet and playwright, was coming back from participating in a similar protest march in Dadar, Mumbai on Tuesday. “She went for the protest in Ahmedabad and has just been released,” Joshi said.Joshi’s brother Abhijat is a celebrated screenwriter who wrote Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘3 Idiots’.Expressing solidarity with the youth who faced police action at Jantar Mantar, Saumya said: “How can you do this to kids? Not listening to them is also not right.”Story continues below this adThe Gujarat University-Physical Research Laboratory stretch was closed for traffic with heavy police deployment around the university gates. A brief disruption to traffic on the main road was also witnessed as police attempted to stop the protesters and force them into the police buses parked alongside.Students and other protesters gathered on the main road connecting Gujarat University, L D College Engineering, CEPT University and other educational institutions for the march. Carrying placards and posters that demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the demonstrators walked in batches to Vijay Crossroads covering nearly a kilometre. They also marched through interior roads in smaller groups.“There is no accountability left. Incompetent people are running the country while those who are competent and educated sit idle,” one of the protesters said.Others said the education minister should take responsibility for the NEET paper leaks and resign.Story continues below this adAll those detained were taken to the University police station in Navrangpura.In all, more than 200 people who protested near Gujarat University were detained on Wednesday evening, said Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP-Sector 1) Niraj Kumar Badgujar, adding that they were released later.The march followed a similar protest held in Ellisbridge on July 20, when the agitators raised slogans for about two and a half hours as the police intermittently detained many and took them to Vejalpur, University and Vastrapur police stations. The detainees were released later in the night.After their release, several had raised slogans while heading towards LD Engineering College before finally dispersing for the day.Story continues below this adZone 1 Deputy Commissioner of Police Harshadkumar Patel said about 400 police personnel were deployed for Wednesday’s protest, which took place peacefully, and that the police did not use any force. Brendan Dabhi works with The Indian Express, focusing his comprehensive reporting primarily on Gujarat. He covers the region's most critical social, legal, and administrative sectors, notably specializing at the intersection of health, social justice, and disasters. Expertise Health and Public Policy: He has deep expertise in healthcare issues, including rare diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), the complex logistics of organ transplants, and public health challenges like drug-resistant TB and heat health surveillance. His on-ground reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic and Mucormycosis was critical in exposing healthcare challenges faced by marginalized communities in Gujarat. Social Justice and Legal Administration: He reports on the functioning of the legal and police system, including the impact of judicial philosophy, forensics and crucial administrative reforms (. He covers major surveillance and crackdown exercises by the Gujarat police and security on the international border. Disaster and Crisis Management: His work closely tracks how government and civic bodies respond to large-scale crises, providing essential coverage on the human and administrative fallout of disasters including cyclones, floods, conflict, major fires and reported extensively on the AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad. Civic Infrastructure and Governance: Provides timely reports on critical civic failures, including large scale infrastructure projects by the railways and civic bodies, as well as the enforcement of municipal regulations and their impact on residents and heritage. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on InstagramTags:ahmedabadSonam Wangchuk