Delhi Police detained All India Students’ Association (AISA) members, including president Neha Bora, and senior advocates Prashant Bhushan and Kapil Sibal during a protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral roll irregularities.
Delhi Police on Saturday detained several members of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) during a protest near Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, as demonstrations over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls continued in the national capital.
Several protesters, including AISA president Neha Bora and senior advocates Prashant Bhushan and Kapil Sibal, attempted to breach police barricades near Jantar Mantar and move forward.
Praising the participants, Bora said on X, “Our Heroes! I hope that when we are your age, we are as strong and steadfast as you all!” She shared pictures with Sibal, Bhushan and others.
Sharing visuals from the protest on social media, AISA said, “We will return. Again and again we will return!!”
FIRs Filed Over Protests
Meanwhile, Delhi Police have registered at least three FIRs in connection with the mass protest held near Jantar Mantar on October 2. Two FIRs were registered at Parliament Street (Sansad Marg) Police Station and one at Connaught Place Police Station.
Background of the Controversy
The controversy came after a report in The Indian Express said that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections on at least 14 occasions over a 10-month period regarding decisions concerning electoral rolls, voter registration and the Commission’s technology systems.
The Election Commission, however, rejected the suggestion that the reported objections amounted to institutional dissent over final decisions. The poll panel said that operational queries, inputs and suggestions raised during the draft stage were part of its standard administrative and decision-making process. ECI stated that the decisions regarding the schedule of the SIR exercise were unanimous.
Widespread Demonstrations and Detentions
On Friday, protesters raised allegations of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demanded Kumar’s removal.
The demonstration took place amid heightened security in central Delhi, after police denied permission and imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
Youth Congress workers, members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), along with opposition leaders, staged a protest near Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
Aam Aadmi Party leaders also staged a protest in central Delhi over the SIR exercise. AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj was detained by Delhi Police soon after reaching Jantar Mantar and joining the protest.
Delhi Police also detained AAP leader Atishi, MLA Kuldeep Kumar, and other members of the AAP, Congress and the united opposition during the protests demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner.
Protest Held in Mumbai
Subsequently, activists of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and other civil society organisations staged a protest at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on Friday against the Election Commission and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
An FIR has been registered at the Shivaji Park Police Station against the protest organisers of CJP and 400 to 500 unknown supporters and agitators of the “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP), Mumbai Police said.
The case has been filed under sections 189 and 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), read with sections 37(1)(3) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police (MP) Act.
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