Nationwide protests demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation; Jantar Mantar closed

NEW DELHI: Protests have intensified across the country, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and reported differences within the Election Commission. Opposition parties and student organisations have launched protests in the national capital and several states.

In Delhi, a march to the headquarters of the Election Commission of India, led by the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC), and a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar organised by the left-wing student organisation All India Students’ Association (AISA) ended in clashes with the police. In Assam and Delhi, police detained several prominent leaders, including Lok Sabha deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi, senior Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan, political activist Yogendra Yadav, and AISA national president Neha.

Major protest marches were also held in Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, and other states. The Congress and other opposition parties launched the agitation, alleging that millions of people, particularly first-time voters from the younger generation, had lost their voting rights following the SIR exercise.

Protesters claim that the Election Commission has completely lost its constitutional credibility. They are demanding that Gyanesh Kumar be removed through impeachment and subjected to legal proceedings.

Security has been tightened across the national capital following information that more mass organisations would take to the streets in Delhi in the coming hours.