Delhi Police detains ex-bureaucrat over online activity, releases him later
Former bureaucrat Ashish Joshi was detained by the Delhi Police Special Cell during his morning walk for questioning regarding his recent social media activity. He was released later that evening after several hours of interrogation, though the police have not disclosed the specific legal grounds for the detention.
Why it matters
The incident has sparked a debate regarding the intersection of government authority, freedom of speech, and the potential targeting of critics through state investigative agencies.
Delhi Police’s Special Cell on Wednesday detained former bureaucrat Ashish Joshi and questioned him for several hours in connection with a case regarding his online activity before allowing him to go home. Taking to social media later in the evening, Mr. Joshi confirmed that officials had dropped him back at his residence.
Mr. Joshi, a 1992-batch Indian Post and Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS) officer who retired as an Additional Secretary-rank official on March 31, was picked up during his morning walk.
Two men in plain clothes approached him at Nehru Park and asked him to accompany them to the Special Cell’s office in New Friends Colony.
The development triggered concern among his acquaintances and drew allegations on social media that he had been taken away by police personnel without his whereabouts being disclosed.
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