Delhi Police have registered three FIRs in connection with Friday’s protests by student groups, political parties and civil society activists who attempted to gather at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Two FIRs were registered at Parliament Street police station and one at Connaught Place police station, according to senior police officers, as quoted by Hindustan Times. The cases were registered on the basis of daily diary entries made by police personnel and invoke Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with disobedience of an order duly promulgated by a public servant.
No individual or organisation has been named as an accused in the FIRs, police said. However, the contents of the cases mention organisations and groups that had called for or participated in the proposed demonstrations.
Protests over electoral roll revision
The demonstrations were organised around demands for Kumar’s resignation, with protesters raising allegations concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged deletion of voters.
Police had imposed prohibitory orders in the New Delhi district under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), restricting gatherings, processions, demonstrations and other forms of public protest without prior permission. Police said no permission had been granted for the planned gathering at Jantar Mantar.
As protesters attempted to reach the designated site, security personnel stopped groups at several locations in central Delhi. According to police, around 1,000 people were detained across the city during the day, although many were subsequently released.
Among those detained were AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi and Sanjeev Jha, along with activists and representatives of student and youth organisations, including AISA, SFI, NSUI and the Indian Youth Congress. Civil society activist Yogendra Yadav was also among those detained.
Protesters held demonstrations at multiple locations
With access to Jantar Mantar blocked, groups of protesters gathered at different points across central Delhi. AISA activists, for instance, assembled near Patel Chowk and attempted to march towards the protest site.
AISA activist and former JNU Students’ Union president N Sai Balaji said the restrictions resulted in protesters assembling at locations away from Jantar Mantar.
“By restricting us, the police have actually spread the protest across Delhi,” Balaji said, according to Hindustan Times.
AISA national president Neha Bora also said in a video posted on X: “How many times will the Delhi police detain us? We will come again to protest.”
Security tightened across central Delhi
Security arrangements were stepped up around Jantar Mantar and adjoining areas, with police and paramilitary personnel deployed and multiple layers of barricading put in place. Several metro stations in central Delhi also temporarily restricted entry and exit during the protests, according to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.
The FIRs registered on Saturday mark the latest police action following the protests. While the cases refer to the organisers and participating groups in their contents, police have not named any individual or organisation as an accused at this stage.
Meanwhile, a separate demonstration against Kumar took place in Mumbai on Friday, where the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) led a protest over the same electoral-roll-related concerns. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has since announced plans for another protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10 if Kumar does not resign.
