SIR row: Over 700 including AAP leaders, activists detained near Jantar Mantar; CJP protests at Mumbai's Shivaji Park
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "SIR row: Over 700 including AAP leaders, activists detained near Jantar Mantar; CJP protests at Mumbai's Shivaji Park")
Activists Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, along with members of the All India Students' Association (AISA), staged a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar outside Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Friday. Photograph: (ANI)
More than 700 protesters, including AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj, Sanjeev Jha, Atishi and Sanjay Singh, were detained in Delhi over the SIR row, while CJP protested in Mumbai.
More than 700 protesters were detained by Delhi Police at Jantar Mantar on Friday as demonstrations intensified over demands for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The protesters alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Several AAP leaders, including Saurabh Bharadwaj, Sanjeev Jha, Atishi and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, were among those detained. Activists from student organisations were also taken into custody.
Sanjay Singh staged a sit-in on the road after police stopped him from proceeding towards Parliament.
"I am a Member of Parliament...As a member, I had to raise the issue of alleged 'vote theft' in Parliament...How can you stop me?' Singh said.
CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, who was also detained, said that every street in Delhi had become Jantar Mantar that day.
The protest at Jantar Mantar included members of political parties and student organisations, including the All India Students' Association (AISA), Students' Federation of India (SFI) and National Students' Union of India (NSUI). AISA leader Neha Bora and activist Yogendra Yadav were also detained.
Trending Stories
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
Delhi Police imposes restrictions amid Jantar Mantar protest
Delhi Police imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in New Delhi. The restrictions prohibit assemblies of five or more people, processions, demonstrations, picketing, dharnas, slogans and speeches without prior written permission.
Police also prohibited the carrying of firearms, banners, placards, lathis, swords, sticks and similar articles in the area.
The protests were not limited to Delhi. Activists from the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and other civil society organisations held a demonstration at Mumbai's Shivaji Park on Friday against the Election Commission and alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise.
Heavy police deployment was seen at Shivaji Park ahead of the protest. In Delhi, security was tightened in central Delhi after police denied permission for the proposed demonstration and imposed restrictions under Section 163 of the BNSS.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das called Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar a “traitor” and alleged that he is the "real anti-national". He also said the Mumbai protest would receive support from people across the country.
INDIA bloc announces protests over SIR electoral rolls
The protests came days after the Opposition INDIA bloc announced a series of demonstrations against the Election Commission over concerns surrounding the SIR of electoral rolls and what it described as threats to democratic institutions.
Reacting to the CJP protest in Mumbai, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the allegations against the Election Commission had already been countered.
“The entire matter has been exposed. Following the press conference held by the three Election Commissioners, their fake narrative has been busted. Yet, attempts are still being made to push this fake narrative. They will not succeed in this,” Fadnavis said.
The INDIA bloc announced its protest programme after a coordination meeting of opposition parties in New Delhi on Wednesday. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the meeting lasted nearly three-and-a-half hours, with several leaders putting forward their views. Uddhav Thackeray and Hemant Soren also took part in the discussions.
As part of the programme, the INDIA bloc will organise district-level “Save Democracy Marches” from October 2 to October 8. Opposition MPs are also scheduled to march to the Election Commission on October 6.
Opposition leaders will further seek an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu in the second week of October to raise their concerns over electoral institutions and electoral rolls.
