Nearly 200 protesters were detained in connection with Saturday’s demonstrations at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with Delhi Police registering cases under provisions dealing with disobedience of orders and obstruction and assault of public servants for Friday’s protest, officials said.
The protesters, including members of student organisations and civil society groups, attempted to gather at Jantar Mantar despite prohibitory orders imposed in the New Delhi district.
Among those detained were AISA national president Neha Bora, civil society activist Yogendra Yadav and senior advocate Prashant Bhushan.
The AISA said senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Nitya Ramakrishnan and Pallav Sisodia also joined the protest.
Police invoked Sections 223(a), 221, 132 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with Friday’s protests. The provisions relate to disobedience of a lawful order promulgated by a public servant, obstructing a public servant in the discharge of public functions, assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty and acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention, respectively.
The AISA activists had called for a fresh mobilisation on Saturday, a day after nearly 1,000 people were detained during protests in and around Jantar Mantar. Many of those detained on Friday were subsequently released.
On Saturday, protesters marched from Patel Chowk towards Jantar Mantar, where police and paramilitary personnel had erected barricades and deployed additional forces to prevent them from reaching the designated protest area.
Several protesters were detained as they gathered near the protest site and were taken to different police stations, officials said.
The fresh mobilisation followed Bora’s call on Friday evening for activists to return to Jantar Mantar and continue the protest against Kumar. The protesters have been demanding his resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
AAP’s student wing, the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP), also staged a protest. The outfit alleged that some of its volunteers were detained and taken around different parts of Delhi in a bus for several hours before being taken to Jafarpur police station.
AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned the continued detention of the student volunteers. There was no immediate response from Delhi Police to the allegations.
The latest action comes a day after Delhi Police registered at least three FIRs in connection with Friday’s protests. Two FIRs were registered at Parliament Street police station and one at Connaught Place police station under Section 223 of the BNS for alleged disobedience of an order promulgated by a public servant.
Police had imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) across the New Delhi district ahead of Friday’s protest. The order prohibits gatherings of five or more people, processions, demonstrations, picketing, dharnas and slogan shouting without prior written permission.
On Friday, around 5,000 police and paramilitary personnel, including more than 10 companies of paramilitary forces, were deployed in central Delhi.
Barricades were erected at several points and drones were used to monitor crowded areas.
Police had received inputs about 4,000 to 5,000 people potentially gathering for the protest, officials said.
The protests are also taking place amid a political debate over the SIR exercise. The Election Commission has maintained that differing views within the poll panel are part of institutional deliberations and that its orders follow established statutory procedures.
