Guwahati: Political activist Yogendra Yadav, AISA national president Neha Bora, AJP leader Kunki Chowdhury and several other protesters were detained by Delhi Police on Saturday as hundreds of demonstrators marched towards Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The protesters attempted to move past police barricades while heading towards the designated protest site. Police detained several demonstrators during the action. The development came a day after hundreds of protesters, including Yadav and Bora, were detained during a similar demonstration on Friday.
Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Prashant Bhushan, activist Avik Saha, Yadav, Bora and other political and student activists were among those participating in the Saturday protest.
The protests have been organised over concerns raised by opposition parties, student organisations and civil-society groups regarding the functioning of the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Protesters have alleged irregularities in the revision exercise and raised concerns over the deletion of voters’ names.
The demonstrations also follow Friday’s large-scale police action, when more than 700 protesters were detained around Jantar Mantar and adjoining areas. Police had imposed restrictions in the New Delhi district and denied permission for the proposed gathering.
Yadav and Bora were among those detained during Friday’s protest as police prevented demonstrators from reaching Jantar Mantar. The renewed mobilisation on Saturday followed an appeal by Bora for protesters to return to the area.
The protesters are demanding Kumar’s resignation and have called for greater transparency in the electoral-roll revision process. The Election Commission, however, has maintained that decisions of the three-member poll panel, including those concerning the SIR exercise, were taken unanimously