NEW DELHI: AISA activists began gathering near Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Saturday amid heavy police deployment and barricading, a day after more than 1,000 protesters, including political leaders and student activists, were detained during a demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The fresh mobilisation followed a call by AISA national president Neha Bora, who was detained during Friday’s protest, asking activists to return to Jantar Mantar at 1 pm and continue demanding Kumar’s resignation and raising concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Police began detaining people as they gathered near the protest site, while security personnel were deployed at multiple points and roads leading to Jantar Mantar were barricaded.
On Friday evening, Bora said in a video message that the protest would continue and urged activists to return to Jantar Mantar. She said the detentions would not intimidate protesters and called for continued mobilisation in support of the demand for Kumar’s resignation.
More than 1,000 protesters from AISA, SFI, NSUI, AAP and other political and student groups were detained by Delhi Police on Friday. AAP leaders and activist Yogendra Yadav were among those detained.
The protesters are opposing the SIR exercise and alleging irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls. Delhi Police had denied permission for Friday’s gathering and imposed heightened security measures in central Delhi, with several roads barricaded and access to some Metro stations near Jantar Mantar temporarily restricted.
The demonstration comes days after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected on record at least 14 times over the last 10 months to decisions and orders on the SIR that they said were issued without their knowledge or recommendation.
Under fire over the red flags raised by two of its commissioners over the SIR process, the EC has asserted that differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberations in any institution and that all its orders carry full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.
(With inputs from PTI)