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Protesters break through barricades during a demonstration demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation in Delhi. (Images: X)
New Delhi: High drama unfolded in New Delhi on Sunday as protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation turned tense, with AAP workers and student activists breaking barricades, blocking buses carrying detainees and attempting to move towards Jantar Mantar.
Workers from the Aam Aadmi Party, its student wing ASAP, NSUI, AISA and other organisations joined the demonstrations amid the ongoing political controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The situation intensified as demonstrators attempted to cross barricades placed along routes leading towards Jantar Mantar. Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were deployed at several points in central Delhi to control the gathering. Visuals from the protest showed AAP workers blocking buses carrying people detained during the demonstration while security personnel attempted to clear the area. Some protesters managed to break through barricades and move forward. Women protesters were also seen climbing onto a vehicle as tensions rose at the protest site.
More than a dozen AAP workers were detained during the demonstration near India Gate, including Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj and MLA Sanjeev Jha. A police officer said at least 25 AAP workers had been detained during the protest. Bharadwaj alleged that police personnel manhandled him during the demonstration. He also shared a photograph on social media and claimed that officers had turned him upside down while taking him away. Jha said concerns related to voting rights could not be avoided and called for transparency and facts instead of what he described as pressure or police action.
The mobilisation extended beyond AAP workers, with NSUI activists also staging a protest demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. Several protesters were subsequently detained by police. AISA activists and members of other organisations marched near Ashoka Road, raising slogans against the Chief Election Commissioner. AISA alleged that its national president Neha Bora was taken away by Delhi Police in a private vehicle without an official registration number during the march near Jantar Mantar. The organisation further alleged that no woman police officer was present inside the vehicle when Bora was detained and questioned whether proper procedure had been followed. There was no immediate response from Delhi Police to the allegations. Visuals showed Bora attempting to cross a barricade as police personnel tried to stop her.
AISA activists attempted to return towards Jantar Mantar for the third consecutive day despite heavy security arrangements in the area. The latest mobilisation began near Andhra Bhawan Circle on Ashoka Road with protesters marching towards Jantar Mantar and raising slogans demanding action against Gyanesh Kumar.
Tensions briefly escalated when protesters and security personnel came face-to-face as police attempted to prevent demonstrators from crossing the barricades.
Sunday’s protest came a day after more than 150 protesters were detained in Delhi. More than 500 protesters, including political leaders and student activists were detained during demonstrations in central Delhi on Friday. AAP leaders, AISA national president Neha Bora and activist Yogendra Yadav were among those detained during the earlier mobilisation.
Police had not granted permission for the Friday gathering and had deployed additional security personnel across central Delhi. Several roads towards Jantar Mantar were barricaded, while access to some nearby metro stations was temporarily restricted during the earlier demonstrations.
The protests are linked to the wider political controversy surrounding the SIR of electoral rolls. It has been reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record on multiple occasions to decisions and orders related to the SIR process, alleging that some were issued without their knowledge or recommendation. The Election Commission has said that differences of opinion and observations are a normal part of institutional deliberations. The poll panel has also maintained that its orders have full legal sanction and are issued under established statutory procedures.
Despite the Election Commission’s response, opposition parties and student organisations have continued their protests in Delhi, demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and raising questions over the electoral roll revision process. The latest clashes and detentions have added another flashpoint to the growing political battle over SIR and the functioning of the Election Commission.
