Police detained more than 200 protesters across Delhi as groups tried to march to Jantar Mantar. The crackdown widened the row over the Election Commission, with student groups alleging illegal detentions and violence.
More than 200 protesters were detained in Delhi on Sunday as demonstrations called by the Cockroach Janata Party entered a second day under heavy security. Protesters raised slogans and tried to march towards Jantar Mantar from different parts of the city, while police stopped them at several points and took many into custody.
Visuals on social media showed protesters being dragged into police buses, while some journalists covering the demonstrations were also detained despite showing press identification cards. The protests were part of a continuing campaign by the CJP and opposition parties seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Members of student groups including the Students’ Federation of India, All India Students’ Association and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan, along with CJP supporters, were detained while trying to reach Jantar Mantar from areas including Connaught Place. Detentions continued into the evening, with protesters being picked up from different locations even after 6.30 pm.
The SFI organised a women’s march around 6.30 pm and later alleged that several women protesters were detained from Connaught Place. It claimed that female protesters were detained by male police personnel and said their detention after 6 pm was illegal. In a series of posts, the organisation alleged that police vans and buses carrying detained women did not have any female police personnel inside and were instead occupied by male officers. It also claimed that some women were being held in dark buses with male police personnel around them, and said its women comrades had been freshly detained.
Videos circulating on social media showed protesters marching through Connaught Place’s Inner Circle and raising slogans demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. The demonstrators were heard shouting, “Gyanesh Kumar isteefa do, isteefa do”. Security personnel were seen moving towards the protesters and trying to disperse them. Several demonstrators resisted as police held them by the arms and pulled them towards waiting buses, with some seen being dragged on the road while continuing to raise slogans.
The day saw a series of flash protests, with different groups gathering at different locations and times to try to reach Jantar Mantar. Connaught Place and RK Ashram Marg were among the main spots where protests and detentions took place. AISA protesters marching from RK Ashram Marg metro station were detained, and AISA president Neha Bora was detained near Vijay Chowk in the afternoon. Visuals showed Bora raising slogans before police moved towards her. She was seen running as police chased her, and was later stopped. Women police personnel were then seen holding her by the arms, while other security personnel held her arms and legs and dragged her away. She was also seen clinging to barricades as fellow protesters tried to stop police from taking her away.
The SFI alleged that hundreds of its activists were detained and taken to Surajmal Stadium in Nangloi. It said its national president Adarsh M Saji, Delhi secretary Sooraj Elamon, Central Executive Committee member Abhijith Manilal and several others were detained. Police sources said CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas was among those detained. The SFI also alleged that its leaders were assaulted inside cage-like police vans. Student groups and protesters described the vehicles as resembling small jails, saying they had compartments with latch-fitted partitions and mesh-covered doors and windows. The SFI further alleged that Brittas was attacked by Delhi Police personnel and later left injured by the roadside. It also claimed that Father Biju Xavier, vicar of Sacred Heart Church in Delhi, was “arrested” while recording alleged police violence on his mobile phone.
The CJP said several protesters were detained near Rajiv Chowk metro station and Gurdwara Bangla Sahib. Videos shared by the party showed protesters trying to form human chains before police stepped in to detain them. The party alleged that doctors and other demonstrators protesting peacefully near Gurdwara Bangla Sahib were also taken into custody. In another development, videos on social media showed KYS members protesting on boats near Nigambodh Ghat with posters and slogans demanding the chief election commissioner’s resignation. KYS members were also seen protesting near Connaught Place. The Revolutionary Workers Party of India was also among the groups that held demonstrations at different locations during the day.
