The 14 activists detained by the Madhya Pradesh (MP) police, before they could reach Delhi for the CJP protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, were released in Pune on Saturday evening.Meanwhile, the Pune city police detained 88 protesters from Lal Mahal junction near Shaniwar Wada for allegedly holding an illegal rally demanding Kumar’s arrest and scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) on Saturday afternoon.A group of activists comprising All India Students Federation (AISF) leader Shrawani Buwa were on their way from Pune to Delhi by train for participating in the protest called by the CJP at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on October 10.Also Read | ‘Delhi fortified against its own youth’: NCP (SP) criticises Jantar Mantar clampdownBut the MP police detained several protesters at the Itarsi railway station. A senior police officer told The Indian Express that the protesters were counselled to return to their home states.Buwa said 14 from Pune, including five women and two non-protesters, were detained by the MP police. “Instead of any police station, we were taken to a resort-like place. We questioned the MP cops about it, but they did not respond. They snatched our cellphones. By that time, I had shared my live location, so AISF activists traced us and then we got our phones back,” said Buwa. After issuing warning for not holding the protest, the Pune city police detained several agitators who had gathered at the Lal Mahal junction near Shaniwar Wada in Pune. (Express Photo By Pavan Khengre)After contacting lawyers, activists Buwa and Preeti Londhe filed a habeas corpus petition before the High Court in MP. The High Court directed the police to either produce the activists before it on October 13 or send them back to their families safely. Police then arranged a bus for the 14 activists. The bus left Itarsi around 9 am on Saturday and reached Pune by evening.“Five cops from MP accompanied us on the bus. All 14 of us were released at my home in Model Colony, Shivajinagar, around 6 pm. Before that, we were taken to the Kharadi police station for about an hour…. I will be going back to MP for the hearing of the habeas corpus petition. After the hearing, I will also speak at a press conference in MP, jointly organised by Communist Party of India (CPI), AISF and CJP, against the illegal detention,” said Buwa.Story continues below this adMeanwhile, hundreds of protesters gathered under the banner of ‘Bhagat Singh Jan Adhikar Yatra’ for a protest rally from Lala Mahal to the Pune District Collectorate on Saturday. Huge police force was deployed around Lal Mahal. After issuing warning for not holding the protest, the Pune city police detained several agitators who had gathered at the Lal Mahal junction near Shaniwar Wada in Pune. (Express Photo By Pavan Khengre)Police said some organisations had sought permission for the rally. But permission was not granted due to law and order reasons. Still the protesters gathered in the Shaniwar Wada area in the afternoon, causing obstruction to the flow of traffic.Police picked up about 88 protesters from the spot and took them to Lashkar police station in police vehicles. Soon, many other protesters gathered at the Lashkar police station and shouted slogans against the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Police said the protesters were detained as per the law as a preventive action. Police handed over some agitators to their parents who came to the police station. Also, the process was on for releasing the other protesters on completion of legal procedures, police said.