Hundreds Detained as Delhi Protests Calling for Chief Election Commissioner's Ouster Continue

Police in central Delhi detained at least five hundred people on Sunday as demonstrators tried to march toward Jantar Mantar on the third day of protests demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstration was organized with backing from the All India Students' Association and focused on stopping the special intensive revision of electoral rolls. Protesters started walking from Andhra Bhavan on Ashoka Road at roughly 4 p.m. but encountered heavy barricades and security forces at the Shangri-La intersection. Security personnel used large private buses and police vans to clear the road, leading to physical confrontations and clashes over a five-hundred-metre stretch. Video footage and accounts showed people being pushed and dragged into detention vehicles. Several notable individuals joined the gathering, including eighty-three-year-old screenwriter Saeed Akhtar Mirza, who participated from a wheelchair to voice his opposition to the administration. A female student who had previously filed a police complaint regarding alleged mistreatment during Saturday's demonstration returned to the site and was detained again. All India Students' Association president Neha was also taken into custody for the third straight day from near Ashoka Road and was later released from the Narela Industrial Area police station after supporters raised concerns about her initially undisclosed location. During the evening, crowds gathered around the intersection chanting slogans and confronting security personnel. Traffic flow in the area faced temporary restrictions while heavy deployments of the Delhi Police, Central Armed Police Forces, and the Rapid Action Force managed the crowds and removed detained individuals in ten to fifteen buses.

Context

Street demonstrations and student-led marches are common methods used by civic groups and political organizations in the capital to register dissent against government policies and constitutional bodies. Electoral roll revisions carried out by election authorities occasionally draw public pushback over procedural transparency and voter list updates.