Several Indian Youth Congress members were detained by police in New Delhi on Monday during a march to gherao the Election Commission, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the handling of SIR.
Congress student wing National Students' Union of India (NSUI) also protested outside the Election Commission (EC) office to demand Kumar's resignation.
At the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) protest, some protesters wore masks of Kumar and had their hands bound in metal chains.
Led by IYC national president Uday Bhanu Chib, the protesters planned to march from the IYC office on Raisina Road towards Jantar Mantar before proceeding to gherao the EC.
The protesters, carrying Congress flags and posters demanding accountability from Kumar, climbed atop barricades.
Some also carried copies of the Manusmriti and played tambourines -- an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi playing the instrument at a 'Bhajan Clubbing' event at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Park in Delhi to mark the 110th birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.
Several IYC workers, including Chib and Delhi unit president Akshay Lakra, were detained by police after they were stopped behind barricades, the IYC said in a statement.
The protesters were put into buses stationed near the IYC office. Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed at the protest site.
"The Election Commission is not the property of any political party or government; it belongs to the people of India. When serious questions are being raised about the functioning of our electoral institutions, the country deserves answers, transparency and accountability," Chib said.
"Gyanesh Kumar must resign and allow an independent examination of all the concerns that have been raised. India's youth will not stand by silently when questions are being raised about the institutions that safeguard our democracy.
"We demand transparency, accountability and answers. The Election Commission must uphold the highest standards of independence and public trust," he said.
The protest came days after the IYC launched an online petition titled "Gyanesh, It's Done Bro", demanding Kumar's removal and calling for an independent probe into allegations regarding the functioning of the poll body.
The Indian Express had reported on September 25 that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi wrote separately to Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan after issuance of a work allocation order within the EC that "threatened to concentrate the powers" at the poll body centrally to add or delete names and update records in the voters' list rather than allowing officials at the state level.
The IYC said reports about objections raised by Sandhu and Joshi, including those concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, had raised questions that required transparent answers from the EC.
It also said that it had again sought permission from the New Delhi DCP to hold a sit-in at Jantar Mantar over the issue.
In its intimation to police, the Congress' youth wing said the proposed demonstration would provide citizens, youths, students, workers and its members and supporters a platform to express their views and place their demands before constitutional authorities.
NSUI members gathered outside the EC office and demanded accountability from the poll panel.
NSUI national president Vinod Jakhar led the protest.
To address concerns over the conduct of SIR, an impartial and independent investigation is needed, the NSUI said.
Some protesters were manhandled by Delhi Police during the protest. Jakhar was detained along with some other members, the student body claimed.
"Today, NSUI workers came peacefully to the Election Commission to demand transparency and accountability. Instead of listening to students, police chose to detain and manhandle the protesters," Jakhar said.
(With inputs from PTI)
