New Delhi, Oct 2: Parts of central Delhi were again gripped by protests, with hundreds of opposition activists marching towards Jantar Mantar on Friday, demanding Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, but were thwarted by police who detained about 700 people.
The protest involved the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the All India Students’ Association (AISA), the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and other student and youth organisations, with the protesters demanding Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll and mass deletion of voters.
Around 700 protesters were detained by the Delhi Police.
AISA president Neha Bora and other members of the organisation were seen running towards Jantar Mantar but were stopped midway by the Delhi Police. At several places like Firoz Shah Road and Ashoka Road, the protesters tried to go past barricades as police personnel prevented them from proceeding towards the designated protest site.
Amid the protests, internet services were suspended in central Delhi, while the entry and exit gates of 12 metro stations were closed as part of security arrangements. These included major stations, such as Rajiv Chowk and Central Secretariat.
The area around Jantar Mantar and the roads leading to it witnessed chaotic scenes as the protesters attempted to make their way through the barricades.
Police personnel repeatedly made public announcements, asking people not to assemble at Jantar Mantar and saying no gathering was allowed there.
The protesters raised slogans against Kumar, including “Ek kachori, do samosa, Gyanesh tumhara kya bharosa” and “Gali gali mein shor hai, Modi-Gyanesh vote chor hai”. They also carried placards bearing Kumar’s face with messages, such as “Resign Do”.
The Youth Congress protesters marched from the IYC office on Raisina Road towards Jantar Mantar, wearing masks bearing the faces of Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and carrying posters and banners demanding accountability of the poll panel.
IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib led the demonstration, with the youth wing of the Congress announcing plans to gherao the Election Commission’s (EC) office.
“We are protesting because the EC is responsible for protecting the sanctity of every vote. When questions are being raised within the commission itself over decisions concerning the electoral roll, the country deserves answers and accountability,” Chib said.
Several NSUI activists, including the outfit’s president Vinod Jakhar, also took part in the protest and were detained from the protest site. Jakhar was detained during a foot march from the organisation’s office towards Jantar Mantar.
SFI and DYFI activists also tried to reach Jantar Mantar. SFI general secretary Aishe Ghosh said several activists of the two organisations were detained.
“The Delhi Police is not being able to stop crimes in the capital but when it comes to the protection of someone like Gyanesh Kumar, they are seen on the streets in large numbers,” Ghosh said, adding that detaining protesters would not stop the movement.
Around 700 people were detained from Jantar Mantar and nearby areas, including AAP leaders and members of the AISA, the SFI, the NSUI and other student organisations, according to police.
A police source said around 700 SFI members trying to reach Jantar Mantar at around 11 am were stopped at the Ashoka Road roundabout, with many of them detained.
AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj was seen lying down on the road while protesting against the police action and was later detained. AAP leaders Atishi and Sanjeev Jha were also among those detained.
AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was stopped at North Avenue while he was on his way to the protest. He later said he was sitting on a dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Parliament premises against “vote theft”.
Atishi said the protesters were holding a peaceful demonstration to protect democracy and the right to vote.
“When the British ruled India, Gandhiji fought for people’s right to vote. Today, when we have that right, Gyanesh Kumar is trying to take it away,” she said.
Atishi said when they tried to reach Jantar Mantar to raise their voice, police took them away in buses and detained them at the Fatehpur Beri police station.
“We are not afraid of Modiji’s police. We will continue to fight to protect the right to vote. The fight against vote theft will continue. The EC’s system will have to be corrected and Gyanesh Kumar will have to resign,” she said.
AAP’s national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda said while protesters are being detained, no action is being taken against the CEC.
“We will not stop here. We will continue the protest across the country,” he said.
Bharadwaj said to protest is a constitutional right and questioned the need for permission to demonstrate at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site.
He said the AAP had submitted letters seeking permission for the protest around six days earlier and claimed that police had not taken any decision on the issue.
Bharadwaj also said police personnel were deployed outside the houses of several AAP leaders to prevent them from joining the protest.
He said around 10 to 15 police personnel, including a station house officer (SHO), were stationed outside his residence, while Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Delhi Police personnel were deployed outside Singh’s residence and outside the homes of other leaders.
“The movement is not of the leaders but of the people,” Bharadwaj said, adding that the protest will continue even if leaders are detained.
Jha questioned whether holding a peaceful demonstration has become a crime, saying he was detained while participating in the protest against the CEC on Gandhi Jayanti.
AISA activists accused police of using force against protesters, including women. An AISA activist, while being detained, said the protest will continue irrespective of the police action.
The AAP also alleged that police detained several of its senior leaders and workers while they were demanding Kumar’s resignation.
The party said leaders like Atishi, Singh, Bharadwaj, Jha, Jarnail Singh, Kuldeep Kumar and Dhanda were among those detained.
The protest was part of a wider mobilisation by political parties, student organisations and youth groups demanding Kumar’s resignation and raising concerns over the electoral-roll-revision exercise. (PTI)
