Delhi Police allegedly detained AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj and MLA Sanjeev Jha on Friday during a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Aam Aadmi Party has alleged that the SIR exercise has led to the mass deletion of voters and accused the Election Commission of undermining electoral rights.
Police also stopped AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh at North Avenue from proceeding to the protest site.
Bharadwaj, in a post on X, said he and Jha were detained despite the protest being peaceful. He urged party workers and supporters to continue the agitation and reach Jantar Mantar.
In a video message, Bharadwaj said police cited the lack of permission for the protest. He questioned the need for permission to demonstrate at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site.
Bharadwaj said the party had submitted letters seeking permission for the protest about a week ago, adding that the demonstrators were exercising their "democratic right to raise our concerns".
He also alleged that several Metro stations near Jantar Mantar had been closed and appealed to supporters to get off at the nearest operational station and walk to the protest site.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said entry and exit were closed at 11 stations, including Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat and Jantar Mantar. Internet services were also suspended in the area around the protest site.
The Delhi Police did not immediately respond to the reported detentions.
