700 detained near Jantar Mantar over CEC ouster demand

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More than 700 people were detained in Delhi on Friday during protests calling for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign.

New Delhi/Mumbai: The demonstrations were organised by opposition parties, student groups and other activists, who raised concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Protesters alleged that the exercise could result in eligible voters being removed from electoral lists. The Election Commission has disputed allegations of wrongdoing.

Former Delhi chief minister Atishi and AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj, Sanjeev Jha and Sanjay Singh were among those detained during the demonstrations near Jantar Mantar.

Police had imposed restrictions on gatherings in the area and deployed additional security personnel. Barricades were also put up around the protest site, while several Metro stations were temporarily closed.

Protest Held in Mumbai

In Mumbai, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), led by Abhijeet Dipke, held a separate demonstration at Shivaji Park. The group also called for Mr Kumar’s resignation and said it planned to take its campaign to other cities.

The protests come amid a wider political dispute over changes to electoral rolls under the SIR exercise. Critics have questioned how voters are being included or removed from the lists, while the Election Commission has defended the process.

The commission has also said that decisions related to the electoral-roll revision were taken unanimously, amid reports of differences over some aspects of the exercise.