On February 9, 2023, Mr. Bobby Panwar and 12 other students who protested demanding a CBI probe into irregularities in recruitment by the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission (UKPSC) were arrested and charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. They were later released on bail on February 15, 2023. State-wide protests and candlelight marches ensued, demanding their release and a CBI investigation into the recruitment scam.

HRDA condemns the lathi charge as an arbitrary and serious violation of constitutionally guaranteed rights to life and peaceful assembly. The appeal urges NHRC to direct the Director General of Police of Uttarakhand to conduct an immediate, independent investigation, take strict action against involved policemen, and quash the FIR against Mr. Bobby Panwar and other protesting students.

Human Rights Defenders’ Alert (HRDA) issues an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) concerning the lathi charge and arrest of peaceful protestors by the Uttarakhand police in Dehradun. The incident, which occurred on February 9, 2023, involved job aspirants protesting against a recruitment scam in Uttarakhand.