Delhi Detentions, Mumbai Protests: EC Faces Heat Over SIR, Gyanesh Kumar
Protests against the Election Commission and Gyanesh Kumar spread from Delhi to Mumbai, with hundreds detained and demonstrators raising concerns over SIR.
By The Slate Media Bureau
New Delhi, October 2: The Delhi Police on Friday reportedly detained nearly 700 people at Jantar Mantar on Friday afternoon as protests against the Election Commission (EC) and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar began. Those detained included former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, former Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, activists Neha Bora, Yogendra Yadav and Aishe Ghosh, and Left leader Brinda Karat.
The police had refused the permission for the protest at the site on Thursday, warning citizens against gathering in groups of five or more or raising slogans. The police action drew criticism from protesters and opposition leaders, who said peaceful protest is a democratic right.
Bharadwaj said AAP had applied for permission six days earlier and questioned why the police were stopping the demonstration despite the party seeking to hold it peacefully.
India Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib also announced plans to gherao the Election Commission office. He said the EC has a responsibility to protect the integrity of elections and that questions about electoral rolls and decisions within the Commission need to be answered.
What is happening at Jantar Mantar?
Police were seen detaining people who gathered in groups and taking them away in buses. Some detainees were taken to Badarpur police station and police stations in Outer North Delhi. As police prevented protesters from moving towards Parliament and Jantar Mantar, the protest shifted towards Janpath, where dozens of people continued to gather.
As part of the security arrangements, the Delhi Metro temporarily closed entry and exit at 12 stations in central Delhi, including Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat and Jantar Mantar. Internet services were also suspended around the protest area.
What is happening in Mumbai?
A separate protest is planned in Mumbai by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a pressure group founded by Abhijeet Dipke. The group had earlier protested at Jantar Mantar over the NEET-UG paper-leak issue and demanded the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
In Mumbai, the CJP plans to launch a 'jail bharo andolan' against the Election Commission and Gyanesh Kumar from Shivaji Park. Mumbai Police had denied permission for the gathering. Dipke said Mumbai was chosen because of the contrasting results of the 2024 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections.
In the Lok Sabha election, the BJP won nine of Maharashtra's 48 seats. Six months later, the BJP-led alliance performed much better in the Assembly election. Opposition parties have cited this sharp difference as raising questions about the election process. Dipke said his group wanted to begin its agitation in Mumbai in this context.
Why are these protests happening?
The protests were triggered by an Indian Express investigation into disagreements within the three-member Election Commission. According to the report, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections 14 times in 10 months over aspects of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In simple terms, SIR is the Election Commission's exercise to check and update voter lists. The two Election Commissioners reportedly objected to several decisions connected with the exercise. These included:
Changes to Form 6, the form used by people applying to become voters.
Changes that they considered illegal modifications to the voter-enrolment process.
Concerns over the centralisation of ECINET, the Election Commission's software system used for electoral-roll related work.
So, the central issue behind Friday's protests is not just the SIR exercise itself. Protesters are demanding answers over how decisions are being taken inside the Election Commission and why the two Election Commissioners reportedly objected to several decisions concerning voter lists.
