New Delhi: Carrying placards, around 200-300 protesters on Friday gathered at Janpath, sloganeering, and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
“Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil mein hai,” the protesters chanted the iconic line from the patriotic Urdu poem by Bismil Azimabadi, as they were stopped from moving towards Jantar Mantar.
Hundreds of protesters, including leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and members of various student organisations, meanwhile, were detained at Jantar Mantar and in surrounding areas.
Police had imposed prohibitory orders and additional security personnel were deployed to prevent any unauthorised gathering at the site, officials said, adding that permission had not been granted for the protest. The Rapid Action Force was deployed as well.
All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and other like-minded student bodies were the driving force behind the protest that took place on Gandhi Jayanti.
At around 11 am, the police stopped the protesters, including AAP leaders, at the Ashoka Road roundabout, with many of them detained. AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj, Sanjeev Jha and Atishi were among those detained, the police said. Several activists of AISA, SFI, NSUI and other student organisations were also rounded up.
These detentions, according to the police, were carried out to prevent unauthorized assembly in the area.
On Friday, when the protesters began gathering outside Jantar Mantar, the Delhi Police sealed all its entries with barricades. It, however, didn’t stop them from their purpose.
They sat on the roads and carried out their protests, demanding answers and resignation of Gyanesh Kumar. Similar protests were carried out in Mumbai as well.
Two months ago, a similar crowd had gathered at Jantar Mantar protest site, over the irregularities in the NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test) exam. This time, many whose names were cut off in the SIR, demanded answers and resignations.
“We want the resignation of Gyanesh, because his conduct has been compromised. We have seen it in the 2024 elections and the Andhra Pradesh elections,” Avnish Kumar, an advocate from Meerut, said.
The Indian Express report, he said, “confirmed that the elections that were conducted were gravely compromised”.
“We don’t know which party has a role to play, but when those who are handling the election process allow the elections of our country to be compromised, it is considered treason. Is this democracy?”
There has been no accountability from the government and the CEC, he said. “So where should we seek accountability? We need an impartial and honest CEC.”
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‘Will have to fight for change’
Many like Delhi’s Rekha Goel were those affected by the SIR exercise. Rekha, a housewife, was shocked to learn that her husband’s name was struck off from the voter records.
“In the SIR list that came out, my name is there and my two children’s names are there, but my husband’s name has been struck off,” she said. “I have been living in the same house with my husband for 28 years. Our votes remain, but my husband’s vote has been cut. Now where should I go?”
“If I raise my voice, they will put me in jail or the police will detain me. They have finished off democracy,” she said, adding that the people are being frightened with the threat of police action.
Fear and frustration was shared by younger protesters as well. Pankaj Kumar, an M.A. student, spoke about the growing trouble faced by citizens and students across the country.
“Look at the condition of the country. We have been caught in a trap,” Kumar said. “We need a change, and when you need change, you have to put in efforts, just like we put in efforts earlier to demand the resignation of (education minister) Dharmendra Pradhan.”
Kumar said that the response from authorities shows a growing resistance to peaceful protests. “This time, people have not even been allowed to protest. Last time we protested, we won. But now, the government is scared of us because we will keep demanding resignations like this. This is a danger for them.”
He added that security forces took measures early to clear the area before the gathering could grow. “The police detained protesters even before they reached the site. They are simply trying to scare us.”
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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