Protest at Jantar Mantar Demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s Resignation

Protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the cancellation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls continued for a second consecutive day at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Saturday. Around 150 protesters were detained for allegedly defying restrictions imposed in several parts of the capital. Those detained included AISA national president Neha Bora, activist Yogendra Yadav and senior advocate Prashant Bhushan. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Nitya Ramakrishnan and Pallav Sisodia were also among those who attempted to reach the protest site.

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) announced that it would hold a peaceful protest in Delhi on October 10 if Gyanesh Kumar does not step down as CEC. Party founder Abhijeet Dipke urged citizens seeking transparent elections to participate. Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notices to authorities over complaints that minors participated in a protest held in Mumbai on October 2. The complaints also alleged that photographs and videos of minors were circulated on social media, prompting the commission to seek an action-taken report and relevant documents.