Over 700 Detained in Delhi as Protesters Demand Poll Chief’s Exit

Delhi (GNP): Police detained more than 700 people in the Indian capital Delhi as opposition parties, student groups and youth organisations demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Demonstrations were also held in Mumbai on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

The protests were part of a wider mobilisation. Participants also raised concerns about the ongoing revision of the electoral rolls.

Delhi Police took several prominent figures into custody at Jantar Mantar and nearby areas. They included leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party, the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), a national secretary of the Communist Party of India and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Manoj Jha. Social activist Yogendra Yadav was also among those detained.

Scenes near Jantar Mantar turned chaotic as protesters tried to push through barricades on Feroz Shah Road and Ashoka Road. Police repeatedly announced that no gathering had been permitted at the site and asked people to stay away.

Authorities also took security measures across the city. Internet services were suspended in central Delhi, and entry and exit gates at 12 Metro stations were shut during the day. The stations included Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat and Janpath.

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Demonstrators chanted slogans against Kumar and carried placards showing his face with the words “Resign Do”. Members of the Indian Youth Congress marched from their Raisina Road office towards Jantar Mantar. They wore masks of Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded accountability from the election commission.

Opposition leaders and activists condemned the detentions. They said blocking a protest on Gandhi’s birth anniversary showed a failure to understand his principles. They also used the term “Godse-vadi” to describe the government’s approach.

In Mumbai, hundreds gathered at Shivaji Park at the call of the Cockroach Janta Party, led by Abhijeet Dipke. Activists from the Students’ Federation of India and the All India Students’ Federation joined the gathering. Actors Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah, singer Vishal Dadlani and activist Tushar Gandhi, a great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, also took part.