New Delhi, Sep 25 (PTI) Wearing masks bearing Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s face and with their hands bound in chains, Indian Youth Congress workers on Friday protested against the Election Commission, demanding Kumar’s resignation and an independent investigation into allegations regarding the poll panel’s functioning.
The protesters, led by IYC national president Uday Bhanu Chib, marched from the youth wing’s office on Raisina Road towards the Election Commission headquarters, raising slogans and carrying posters and banners demanding accountability from the CEC.
The protesters were stopped by Delhi Police barricades as they moved towards the poll panel’s office. Chib and several other IYC workers were detained during the demonstration.
Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed along the route, with barricades and detention buses stationed along the route as well as near the Election Commission office.
The protest came a day after the IYC launched an online petition demanding Kumar’s removal, following an Indian Express report on objections reportedly raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over certain electoral decisions.
The report said the two commissioners had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over the past 10 months on issues concerning voter additions and deletions, changes to Form 6 used for new voter registration and the centralisation of electoral-roll systems.
The IYC also raised concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demanded greater transparency in the revision process.
“The vote of every Indian is sacred, and the institution responsible for protecting that vote must be beyond suspicion. The revelations surrounding the functioning of the Election Commission have raised serious questions that cannot simply be brushed aside,” Chib said.
He emphasised that the Indian Youth Congress demands the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and a “fair, independent investigation into all allegations of wrongdoing.”
Chib also said the youth wing would continue to raise questions over the electoral process, saying young Indians could not remain silent if their constitutional right to vote was compromised.
“We are protesting because democracy cannot function when citizens lose faith in the neutrality and transparency of the electoral process. We demand accountability, transparency and protection of every voter’s right,” he said.
According to an official statement, the IYC demanded a comprehensive investigation into the electoral process and electoral rolls, besides the public release of electoral records and internal objections raised within the poll panel.
It also called for Kumar’s arrest and prosecution, and said allegations of electoral wrongdoing should be examined through due process and those found responsible should face action under law.
The youth wing sought complete transparency in electoral-roll revisions and safeguards to ensure that eligible voters are not excluded from the electoral process, the statement read.
The demonstration was attended by IYC general secretary Ajay Chikara, national secretaries Satyawan Gehlot, Khushboo Sharma, Hari Krishna and Parminder Singh Pummy, besides Delhi Pradesh Youth Congress president Akshay Lakra and other workers.
The IYC also sought permission to hold a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar from September 26 to October 15 in connection with the SIR row, the statement added.
In its intimation to the police, the Congress’ youth wing said the proposed demonstration would provide citizens, youth, students, workers and its members and supporters a platform to express their views and place their demands before the constitutional authorities. PTI MSJ MSJ MPL
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