Amidst the chaos, a protester leaps out of the shattered window of a police bus to escape detention
Thousands of protestors seeking resignation of Chief Election Commissioner of India, Gyanesh Kumar continued to gather at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Monday even as the Supreme Court began hearing petitions against Kumar for his role in the highly controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls nationwide.
The protests have been going on every day in Delhi since October 2, Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti, with student groups, civil society organisations and other protesters gathering at Jantar Mantar to express their anger over the mass disenfranchisement that SIR is resulting in.
On Sunday, the protestors marching towards Jantar Mantar were stopped by the police using barricades. The situation became tense at several points, with pushing and clashes between protesters and police. Several protesters were also detained.
From the morning, heavy police and security arrangements were seen around Jantar Mantar, Ashoka Road and nearby areas in Central Delhi. Police buses, barricades and riot-control equipment were placed along the roads. Protesters raised slogans and carried posters about SIR, voter lists and the electoral process. They also demanded the resignation of the CEC.
The police stopped the protesters from moving ahead, citing restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the Indian Penal Code. As the situation became tense, several protesters were taken into police buses and detained. Some protesters also accused the police of using force and treating them badly.
Protesters question police action
As the protesters moved towards Jantar Mantar, the police blocked their way. Some protesters tried to cross the barricades, after which police personnel began detaining them. In several instances, four or five police personnel were seen carrying protesters towards the waiting buses.
The photographs from the protest show the action from close range. Women protesters being carried away by women police personnel, students being detained and large crowds gathering around police buses show the tense situation on the streets.
“We are living in a democracy and we have the right to raise our demands. We come here to raise our demands, but we are picked up and detained so brutally,” a woman protester, questioning the police action, told Media India Group.
She alleged that she had been detained several times during the protest and that police personnel pulled her hair and hurt her.
“Today, a male police officer hit me with a baton. Then they ask us why we pull their hair. So should we not defend ourselves? Should we not protect ourselves?” she alleged.
The protesters also raised concerns about the detention of their fellow protester Neha Bora, a member of the All India Students Association, a students’ body that has been actively protesting against SIR for several months.
“Our fellow protester Neha, who is from AISA, was taken away in a vehicle in this manner. We do not know where they have taken her,” said a protestor.
“There were only two male police officers inside the vehicle with Neha. There was no woman police officer with her. We do not know where they have taken her,” the protestors added. Delhi Police has since clarified that Neha was released later on Sunday.
Questions over SIR
At the heart of the protest against Gyanesh Kumar was SIR and several posters, slogans and speeches focussed on voter lists and citizenship.
“They are trying to bring the National Register of Citizens (NRC) through SIR. They are taking away people’s citizenship. We will raise questions. We will not be afraid of anyone’s oppression,” said a protestor.
“These are the goons of RSS, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The police are not here to protect us. They are beating us, hitting us and tearing our clothes. We have brought children with us on the buses. Protesting is our right,” added another protestor.
“We were moving peacefully towards Jantar Mantar, but the police stopped us with barricades. Protesters were forcibly put into buses. During the pushing and detention, some people’s clothes were torn and some were injured,” Yogesh Swamy, a member of the Revolutionary Workers Party of India (RWPI), a left-wing political party, told Media India Group.
“We will continue to raise our voice and continue our protest,” Swamy added.
