Left Parties, Student Groups Stage Protests In Delhi, Demand Gyanesh Kumar's Resignation Over SIR

Left parties, student organisations and civil society groups staged flash protests and a march with the National Tricolour at several locations in the capital on Friday, demanding the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Protesters Demand Restoration Of Voting Rights To 13 Crore People

The demonstrations, organised under the banner of “People Against SIR” and involving members of the All India Students’ Association (AISA), took place at several locations, including near Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Jantar Mantar and the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters at Nirvachan Sadan. The protesters demanded the restoration of voting rights to more than 13 crore people whose names they claimed had been deleted from electoral rolls, and called for the reinstatement of the Chief Justice of India on the panel that selects election commissioners.

The protests targeted alleged manipulation of electoral rolls and the mass deletion of eligible voters during SIR exerciseRaising slogans, the demonstrators demanded accountability from the Election Commission and accused it of undermining the integrity of the electoral process.

Brinda Karat, Dipankar Bhattacharya Among Those Supporting Agitation

Among those who joined or expressed support for the agitation were Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha, lawyer Prashant Bhushan, activist Yogendra Yadav and social activist Anjali Bharadwaj. AISA president Neha Bora was also present.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), which spearheaded the protests against the now-repealed farm laws, also participated in the agitation, alongside student and political organisations.

Protests Held Ahead Of INDIA Bloc Rally On November 1

Many of the participants had earlier joined the Congress-led INDIA bloc protests and demonstrations organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) against the SIR exercise and the chief election commissioner. With the Congress and the CJP temporarily halting their street protests during the festive season, Left parties decided to stage their own mobilisation.

The latest mobilisation comes amid preparations by INDIA bloc parties for a larger rally in Delhi on November 1 against the SIR exercise and the Election Commission’s handling of electoral rolls.

Delhi Police Detain Nearly 150 Protesters

The protesters attempted to assemble at Jantar Mantar but were prevented by police from gathering there, prompting demonstrations at different locations across the capital.

Delhi Police detained nearly 150 protesters at various locations for holding demonstrations without permission. Those detained included student activists and workers associated with Left parties. All were subsequently released.

Protesters Demand Withdrawal Of SIR Exercise

The protesters also called for the withdrawal of the SIR exercise and demanded that Gyanesh Kumar be held accountable for the alleged disenfranchisement of eligible voters. The Election Commission has maintained that the revision is intended to ensure the accuracy of electoral rolls.