Over 700 detained in Delhi as protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar spread to Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Patna

More than 700 protesters were detained in New Delhi on Friday as opposition parties, student organisations and youth groups staged demonstrations demanding Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Protests were also held in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Patna and Jaipur on Gandhi Jayanti. In Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Atishi, Sanjay Singh, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Sanjeev Jha were among those detained at Jantar Mantar and surrounding areas. Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary M A Baby, veteran party leader Brinda Karat, CPI national secretary P Sandosh Kumar, RJD leader Manoj Jha, activist Yogendra Yadav, AISA president Neha Bora, DYFI president and Rajya Sabha member A A Rahim, and former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh were also detained. Police said around 700 people were detained from Jantar Mantar and nearby areas, including members of AISA, SFI, NSUI and other student organisations. A police source said SFI members attempting to reach Jantar Mantar around 11 am were stopped at the Ashoka Road roundabout, with many taken into custody. Police had denied permission for the gathering and imposed restrictions across the New Delhi district, citing security concerns. Protesters attempting to cross barricades on Feroz Shah Road and Ashoka Road were prevented from proceeding towards Jantar Mantar. Police repeatedly announced that no gathering had been authorised at the designated protest site. Internet services were suspended in central Delhi, while entry and exit gates at 12 Metro stations, including Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat and Janpath, remained closed during the day. Protesters raised slogans against Kumar, including "Ek kachori, do samosa, Gyanesh tumhara kya bharosa" and "Gali-gali mein shor hai, Modi-Gyanesh vote chor hai". Indian Youth Congress members marched from their Raisina Road office wearing masks bearing the faces of Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. NSUI national president Vinod Jakhar was also detained during a march towards Jantar Mantar. AAP leader Bharadwaj questioned the denial of permission, saying that protesting was a constitutional right. He said the party had submitted requests for permission around six days earlier but alleged that the police had not taken a decision. Opposition leaders and activists criticised the detentions, accusing the authorities of failing to uphold Mahatma Gandhi's principles on his birth anniversary. In Mumbai, hundreds of protesters gathered at Shivaji Park at the call of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), despite police refusing permission for the demonstration. CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke led the rally, which was attended by SFI and AISF activists, actors Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah, singer Vishal Dadlani, and Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson. Protesters carried the national flag and placards reading "Gyanesh BRO, JUST RESIGN" and "Gaddaar Gyaanu Must Go". Dipke criticised the Centre's handling of the issue and challenged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to send the demonstrators to jail. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) also extended support to the agitation. The CJP has demanded transparency in the appointment of the CEC and called for the 2025 voter list to be frozen, saying it should not be "tampered with further". The protests intensified after media reports said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions and orders concerning the SIR, some allegedly issued without their knowledge. The Election Commission subsequently said the three-member body had taken all decisions, including those related to the SIR, unanimously. The revision exercise has triggered opposition allegations of voter exclusion and demands for greater transparency. The poll body has denied wrongdoing in the process. (With inputs from PTI)