More than 700 protesters were detained in Delhi on Friday as demonstrations were held in the capital and Mumbai over demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The protests were linked to opposition parties and youth groups raising concerns over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Protesters have alleged irregularities in the exercise and raised concerns about the deletion of voters from electoral rolls. The Election Commission has rejected allegations of wrongdoing and said decisions taken by the three-member commission, including those related to SIR, were unanimous.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
In Delhi, members of the Aam Aadmi Party, Congress, Left organisations and student groups gathered around Jantar Mantar. Police had denied permission for the demonstration and imposed restrictions in the New Delhi district.
Among those detained were AAP leaders Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj, along with other party workers and members of student organisations. According to police, more than 700 protesters were detained from Jantar Mantar and surrounding areas. They were taken to different police stations and were expected to be released after necessary legal formalities.
Security was tightened across central Delhi ahead of the protest. Eleven metro stations near the demonstration site were temporarily closed, while barricades were installed on roads leading towards Jantar Mantar. Police said the measures were taken to maintain public order and regulate movement.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi backed the protesters’ concerns and criticised the detentions. He has repeatedly alleged that the electoral-roll exercise amounts to “vote theft”, while the Election Commission has maintained that the SIR process is being conducted according to law.
The controversy intensified after reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections to several decisions of the poll body. The Election Commission subsequently said the reported differences were part of the decision-making process and maintained that the final decisions of the Commission were unanimous.
In Mumbai, thousands gathered at Shivaji Park for a demonstration organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanding Kumar’s resignation. Police had denied permission for the protest and barricaded several routes leading to the venue.
Protesters carried national flags and placards and raised slogans over the electoral-roll revision. Police later began removing demonstrators from the protest site. A BJP counter-protest was also held in Mumbai.
Similar demonstrations were reported in Jaipur and Ahmedabad, where protesters raised concerns over the SIR process and demanded greater transparency in electoral-roll revisions.
The protests come amid a wider political dispute over the Election Commission’s handling of voter-list revisions. Opposition parties have called for greater scrutiny of the process, while the poll panel has defended its procedures and said its decisions were taken collectively.
The demonstrations and detentions have brought renewed attention to the debate over electoral-roll revisions, the role of the Election Commission and the concerns raised by opposition parties and civil society groups.
