New Delhi witnessed fresh protests on Sunday as student activists and political workers took to the streets demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstrations, which entered their third consecutive day, were linked to allegations of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
All India Students' Association (AISA) activists marched towards Jantar Mantar from Andhra Bhawan Circle on Ashoka Road despite heavy barricading and a large security deployment. Police stopped the protesters from proceeding towards the designated protest site, leading to a brief confrontation between protesters and security personnel.
AISA national president Neha Bora was among those taking part in the demonstration. Visuals circulated on social media appeared to show Bora attempting to climb a barricade as police officials tried to prevent protesters from moving forward.
Separately, Aam Aadmi Party workers staged a protest at India Gate, demanding Kumar's resignation. Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj and party MLA Sanjeev Jha were among those detained. Police said at least 25 AAP workers were detained during the demonstration.
The protests come amid growing Opposition criticism of the Election Commission over the SIR exercise and allegations of large-scale deletion of voters from electoral rolls. The Election Commission has maintained that its orders have legal sanction and that differing views within the poll panel are part of normal institutional deliberations.
Security tightened across central Delhi
Delhi Police stepped up security arrangements in central Delhi ahead of Sunday's demonstrations. Around 5,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed, while multiple layers of barricading were placed on roads leading towards Jantar Mantar. Drones were also deployed to monitor the situation.
Police had said that permission was not granted for the proposed march from India Gate to Jantar Mantar. The security arrangements came after large numbers of protesters were detained during demonstrations in central Delhi over the previous two days.
