Guwahati: Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi was detained by Assam Police on Friday during a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, as the political row over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls intensified.
Speaking to ANI during the protest, Gogoi demanded Kumar’s resignation and called for legal action against the Chief Election Commissioner over what he alleged were irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission.
“Today, as people have come to know that Gyanesh Kumar Ji has committed a crime and committed an act of treason, he should resign today and legal action should be taken against him,” Gogoi said.
“Legal action should be taken against them, and they should be arrested. Along with Gyanesh Kumar, the ones sitting behind him—their masters, Prime Minister Modi Ji and Home Minister Amit Shah Ji—should remember today that the country will not forgive them,” he added.
Gogoi said the controversy concerned the fundamental right of citizens to vote and alleged that the Election Commission had failed to protect electoral rolls. “Today, India is a democracy because there are fair elections, and the people’s right to vote is secure. Today, they have attacked democracy. In the coming days, the people of India will not let them go,” he said.
“Every citizen needs to think about whether India will remain a democracy or not. Because today, the Election Commission of India has only one job: to keep the voter list safe and secure. And they are not even doing that job; they are attacking democracy,” Gogoi added.
The protest came amid an escalating political row over the SIR exercise triggered by an investigative report by The Indian Express, which revealed that two sitting Election Commissioners – Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi – had formally recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding procedures, database changes, and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion that the reported objections represented institutional dissent, maintaining that internal observations are part of the normal functioning of a multi-member constitutional body and that final decisions relating to SIR were unanimous.
Congress has launched its protests across several states against the Election Commission, with party leaders demanding Kumar’s resignation and legal action over alleged irregularities in electoral-roll management.
This report is auto generated from the ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.