SIR protest: 150 detained near Jantar Mantar on 2nd day
Police detained approximately 150 protesters, including prominent activists and lawyers, near Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The demonstrators were protesting alleged irregularities in the electoral roll revision process and demanding the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner.
Why it matters
The mass detention of high-profile figures underscores the intensifying conflict between civil society groups and election authorities regarding democratic processes in India.
NEW DELHI: Around 150 people demanding chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s removal were detained in and around Jantar Mantar Saturday.Security forces were deployed at various entry and exit points of Jantar Mantar to prevent people from mobilising for demonstrations called by student and political outfits.Those detained included senior advocates Prashant Bhushan and Kapil Sibal, Swaraj India founder Yogendra Yadav and AISA national president Neha Bora.Bhushan and Yadav continued their protest inside Bahadurgarh police station and livestreamed a session on social media, explaining their demands.A day after Friday’s protest on the same issue, participants again demanded Kumar’s removal due to alleged irregularities in Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.In Delhi, the names of over 47 lakh people have been deleted in the draft SIR roll and another 33 lakh have received notices to explain “logical discrepancies” in their records.“The booth-level officers are now asking me to register as a new…
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