Several protesters were detained by Delhi Police during a demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Friday, September 25, demanding the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The protest was organised by the All India Students' Association (AISA) along with other activists and civil society groups.
Among those detained were CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, activist Yogendra Yadav, AISA national president Neha Bora and activist Anjali Bharadwaj, according to organisers.
Why were protesters demonstrating?
The protest comes amid a controversy surrounding the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The agitation intensified after an Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on multiple occasions over decisions related to voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, as well as the functioning of the poll panel's electoral-roll technology.
The Election Commission has said that differing views and written observations are part of institutional deliberations and maintained that decisions, including those concerning SIR, were unanimous.
What did Delhi Police say?
A senior Delhi Police officer said the protesters had not obtained permission to hold the demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
"No application was submitted and no permission was obtained. They are being removed," the officer told PTI, according to reports.
Police deployed personnel and put up multiple layers of barricades around the protest area.
Protests spread to other places
The Jantar Mantar demonstration was part of wider protests over the Election Commission's functioning. Congress workers and other groups also held demonstrations in several parts of the country on Friday, with police detentions reported in some locations.
The developments follow separate calls by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) for Kumar's resignation and a nationwide agitation if he did not step down within 48 hours. The CJP has also demanded that SIR be frozen and the January 2025 electoral roll be restored.
The allegations against the Election Commission remain contested, with the poll panel rejecting the suggestion that internal differences indicate a breakdown in its decision-making process.
