New Delhi, October 2: More than 700 protesters were arrested and hundreds of others detained across India on October 2 as opposition groups and activists staged demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and a halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Large rallies were reported in New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Jaipur, Vijayawada, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram, with protesters raising concerns over the Election Commission’s ongoing revision exercise.
Opposition groups alleged that more than 13 million names had been deleted from draft electoral rolls during the revision and accused the poll panel of unfairly excluding voters. The claims have been disputed by the Election Commission.
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In New Delhi, police stopped marches near Jantar Mantar and detained more than 700 people, including members of political parties and student groups, according to reports. Authorities also imposed restrictions on unauthorised assemblies and movement in parts of the city, including areas around metro stations. Mobile internet services were also disrupted in select zones amid the demonstrations.
In Mumbai, thousands gathered at Shivaji Park for a protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party, as demonstrators voiced opposition to the voter-roll revision.
The protests were held as political groups intensified their campaign against the SIR exercise, demanding that the Election Commission suspend the process and review the changes made to electoral rolls.
The Election Commission, however, maintained that its decisions concerning voter-roll updates were taken unanimously and denied allegations of wrongdoing.
The protests and detentions came amid continuing political and public debate over the scope and implementation of the electoral-roll revision exercise.
Earlier, the 19-party INDIA bloc announced a three-stage nationwide campaign against the Election Commission over allegations of electoral irregularities, culminating in a major rally in Delhi on November 1
