1,000 detained as Delhi cops thwart Jantar Mantar protest against Gyanesh Kumar
Here's the latest protest news from across India:
Around 1,000 people were detained across Delhi on Friday as police and security forces foiled attempts by student organisations and political parties to gather at Jantar Mantar and demand the resignation of chief election commissioner ( CEC ) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Adding to this, Protesters and police clash at the Ashoka Road crossing. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO) With hundreds of security personnel deployed and roads leading to central Delhi sealed with layers of barricades, protesters were prevented from reaching the designated protest site. Several hundred protesters instead staged fragmented demonstrations at different locations, while others were detained and taken to police stations across the city.
Meanwhile, A senior police officer, who asked not to be named, shared nearly 750 people were detained from areas around Jantar Mantar and another 400 from other parts of Delhi during the day. Around 200 people were also placed under house arrest in the morning. Those detained from the streets were taken away in buses arranged by Delhi Police and taken to different police stations.
Notably, Among those detained were former chief minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi , All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora and Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav . The detainees also included AAP leaders, civil society activists, members of left-backed student organisations and workers of the Congress youth wing.
As per the latest buzz, The protest was called for 11am at Jantar Mantar by the AAP, AISA, Students’ Federation of India (SFI), National Students’ Union of India ( NSUI ), Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and other student and youth organisations. They were demanding Kumar’s resignation over allegations of irregularities in the SIR exercise and mass deletion of voters.
In further updates, Police had made it clear ahead of the protest that no permission had been granted for the gathering. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) were also in force across the New Delhi district.
On top of that, The orders prohibit, without prior written permission, public gatherings of five or more people, processions, demonstrations, picketing and dharnas, as well as shouting slogans or making speeches and carrying items such as banners, placards, sticks and other objects, police shared. The restrictions were imposed to ensure public safety, maintain public order and facilitate traffic movement.
Meanwhile, Mumbai saw massive gatherings as a wall of police barricades failed to halt protesters from gathering at Shivaji Park. Abhijeet Dipke , chief of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which spearheaded the July 20 “Chalo Sansad” march, was at the protest, joined by thousands of protesters, actors, and activists.
Source: Hindustan Times