NEW DELHI: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Saturday warned that he would be compelled to consider an “Anshan Fast or Padyatra March” if those detained during protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar were not released by Sunday.In a video message posted on X, Wangchuk described the situation in the national capital as an “undeclared EMERGENCY” and expressed concern over the detention of several political leaders who had planned to participate in a protest demanding Kumar’s resignation over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.“Yesterday when I posted a message appealing for unity & peace in today’s protest I had never imagined that the biggest democracy in the world would be under an undeclared EMERGENCY. I was happy there were so many leaders to lead the movement, but I now learn that they have all been arrested. I hope those arrested will be released soon. I will be compelled to consider an Anshan Fast or Padyatra March if they are not released by tomorrow,” he said.Among those detained on Saturday were Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and All India Students’ Association (AISA) leader Neha Bora. Delhi Police continued to take protesters into preventive custody after informing them that permission had not been granted for the gathering.Following his detention, Kejriwal posted a video on X alongside AAP leader Sanjay Singh, asserting that the protesters would not be intimidated.“We have been detained by the police. Sanjay Singh is here with me. The youth of the country has awakened. We are not going to be intimidated by Modi’s tyranny. Now, Gyanesh Kumar will have to resign. People will not tolerate this stealing of votes anymore. You all should also come out of your homes and fight to save the country,” Kejriwal said.
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Bora also confirmed her detention and urged young people to continue the protest despite police action.“We have been detained. But it does not matter. To my fellow Gen Z: This is our 1942. Their jails can hold a few of us but not all of us. Wherever any of us is stopped today, we sit down right there and begin. Every corner becomes Jantar Mantar,” she wrote on X.Delhi Police sources said around 1,000 protesters had been detained across the national capital while attempting to march towards Jantar Mantar for the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)-led demonstration. CJP activist Abhijeet Dipke also alleged that he and his associates were detained at Delhi airport after arriving from Mumbai to participate in the protest.