NEW DELHI: Protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar intensified in Delhi on Sunday, with AISA activists and AAP workers detained as they attempted to march towards Jantar Mantar for the third consecutive day.AISA president Neha Bora was among those detained during a protest march near Ashoka Road, while Delhi Police detained AAP workers, including Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj, at India Gate. The protests are part of a wider agitation over alleged irregularities in the Election Commission’s functioning, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged mass deletion of voters.Here are the top developments
AISA protesters clash briefly with police
AISA members and activists from several organisations marched from the Ashoka Road area towards Jantar Mantar, but were stopped by police barricades.The protesters briefly clashed with security personnel as they tried to cross the barricades. Bora was among those seen attempting to breach the police cordon. Senior advocates Prashant Bhushan and Kapil Sibal also participated in the protest.
Neha Bora detained
AISA members later alleged that Bora was taken away in a private vehicle without an official number plate and that no woman police officer was present in the vehicle. The organisation said her whereabouts were initially unknown.The protests continued despite restrictions imposed in central Delhi and the denial of permission for the proposed marches.
AAP workers detained at India Gate
Delhi Police also detained AAP workers who had gathered at India Gate to protest against Kumar and demand his resignation.Bharadwaj alleged that police manhandled him during the detention and said protesters were being treated harshly.AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal criticised the police action on X, saying, “This is absolutely shocking. Modi ji has left even Hitler behind,”
Female journalists allege sexual harassment
The protests have also triggered a controversy over allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct by police personnel during Saturday’s demonstrations.Three women identifying themselves as journalists complained that they were manhandled and sexually harassed by police officers while covering the protests near Jantar Mantar on October 3. The Delhi Police said the complaints had been received, medical examinations conducted and the matter transferred to the Crime Branch for a “fair and impartial enquiry”.CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat criticised the police over the handling of the complaints and questioned the reported demand for video evidence before registering an FIR.“Now, when sexual harassment is happening with a journalist and Delhi Police is trying to save him and it is being asked to show the video,” Karat said, calling the response “extremely wrong”.Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, have also criticised the alleged police conduct and demanded accountability.
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The controversy came after a report in The Indian Express said that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months regarding decisions concerning electoral rolls, voter registration and the Commission’s technology systems.The Election Commission, however, rejected the suggestion that the reported objections amounted to institutional dissent over final decisions. The poll panel said that operational queries, inputs and suggestions raised during the draft stage were part of its standard administrative and decision-making process. ECI stated that the decisions regarding the schedule of the SIR exercise were unanimous.