More than a dozen Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers were detained by Delhi Police on Sunday while protesting near India Gate and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj and party MLA Sanjeev Jha were among those detained. A police officer said at least 25 AAP workers were taken into custody during the protest.
Bharadwaj later alleged on X that Delhi Police handled him roughly and turned him upside down to prevent cameras from capturing his face. He shared a photograph showing what he described as his shoes being in the air.
Jha said those in power could not avoid questions from people, particularly concerns relating to voting rights. Such concerns, he said, should be addressed through transparency and facts rather than “silence, pressure or police action.”
The AAP protest came as All India Students’ Association (AISA) activists staged demonstrations in Delhi for the third consecutive day, demanding Kumar’s resignation.
Neha Bora Leads AISA Mobilisation
The protesters marched from Andhra Bhawan Circle on Ashoka Road towards Jantar Mantar, raising slogans as police deployed heavy security and barricades to prevent them from reaching the designated protest site.
A brief confrontation took place as protesters attempted to cross the barricades. Visuals circulated on social media showed AISA national president Neha Bora attempting to climb over a barricade while police personnel tried to stop her.
Bora was among those detained during earlier protests in Delhi. The demonstrations are part of a wider mobilisation against the Election Commission’s handling of the SIR exercise and alleged large-scale deletion of voters.
Sunday’s mobilisation followed the detention of around 150 protesters in Delhi on Saturday. More than 500 protesters, including political leaders and student activists, were detained during demonstrations on Friday.
The protests gained further momentum after an investigation by The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the SIR, which they said were issued without their knowledge or recommendation.
The Election Commission has maintained that differences of opinion and observations are a normal part of institutional deliberations and asserted that its orders have full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.
Police had denied permission for earlier demonstrations and intensified security around central Delhi, with barricades placed on roads leading towards Jantar Mantar and restrictions imposed to regulate the movement of protesters.
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