Delhi police arrest 160 demonstrators, including senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, in second anti‑CEC rally

Delhi police arrested 160 demonstrators on Saturday, among them senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, activist Yogendra Yadav, AISA president Neha Bora and RTI activist Anjali Bhardwaj, as they marched to press for the resignation of Election Commission chief Gyanesh Kumar. The gathering came a day after more than a thousand participants were taken into custody during the first wave of the protest. AISA had urged people to assemble at 1 pm on October 3, but authorities said no permission was granted and no prior notice had been received. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 remained in effect for a second day to safeguard public order and traffic flow. Protesters first gathered on Ashoka Road at the scheduled time, but the route behind the site was blocked with several barricades and a large security presence. Nearly two hours after the planned start, Neha Bora, Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal, Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan and Anjali Bhardwaj began leading the march amid tight police surveillance. Police issued repeated warnings, then began detaining participants within minutes of the march’s commencement at Vithal Bhai Patel House around 3 pm. The detainees were taken to various police stations, with Bhushan, Yadav and Bhardwaj transferred to Badarpur station. In response, Yadav announced another citizen’s march for Sunday, October 4, starting at 3 pm from India Gate and moving to Jantar Mantar to protest alleged police brutality and the CEC’s conduct. ## Context The protest reflects ongoing dissent over the Election Commission’s handling of recent electoral disputes, and the use of the 2023 security law to curb public assemblies in Delhi.