Stalin Slams Delhi Protest Crackdown, Demands Gyanesh Kumar’s Resignation

DMK president and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin has criticised police action against protesters in New Delhi who were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Comparing the crackdown to the 1975–77 Emergency, Stalin called for the immediate release of detained political leaders, students and young protesters. In a post on X, he said dissent was not a crime and called for the protection of the Election Commission of India’s independence and credibility. He maintained that Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation was non-negotiable.

Stalin also accused Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s TVK government of acting in the BJP’s interests after more than 100 AISF and AIYF members were detained in Chennai while attempting to march towards the Secretariat. DMK deputy general secretary A. Raja met the detained protesters and expressed solidarity with them. In New Delhi, police reportedly detained more than 2,000 people while preventing a planned protest at Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in voter list revisions. Opposition parties and activists claim that more than 130 million names have been removed from electoral rolls through the SIR process, potentially affecting eligible voters. The Election Commission and the