New Delhi Protest Against Voter Roll Revision Moves Toward Election Body Office

UPDATE - follow-up to Protests against SIR LIVE: March heads towards ECI HQ amid tight security in central Delhi: A protest march against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in central Delhi led participants toward the Election Commission of India headquarters on Friday to protest the alleged removal of voters.

March Details

The march was organized by the Delhi Coordination Committee of People Against SIR and began near Gole Dak Khana at the intersection of Kalibari Marg and Bhai Vir Singh Marg. Activists from Delhi, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh joined the event, alongside the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan and the Students' Federation of India. Demonstrators carried the national flag and demanded the return of voting rights for removed voters, plus the removal and prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Police Action

Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force personnel were heavily deployed near Bangla Sahib Gurudwara before the march. Police issued a traffic advisory for diversions between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. near Bangla Sahib Gurudwara and Jantar Mantar. When police stopped the marchers on Ashoka Road, the participants sat down and held a People's Parliament. Police began detaining protesters on Ashoka Road after warning them to leave.

Security Measures

The Union Home Ministry extended the deployment of 273 Central Armed Police Forces companies in Delhi until October 31 to prevent flash protests by political and other groups. These forces were initially brought to the city for protests by the Cockroach Janta Party earlier in the month.

Context

Voter list revisions are routine administrative processes handled by election authorities to update citizen databases, but disputes over roll deletions often spark intense political battles. Heavy security deployments and traffic restrictions are standard government measures in the national capital when large-scale demonstrations target central government offices.