Left-wing student groups AISA and RYA staged a protest march in Patna on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral roll irregularities. Despite police curbs, many protesters blocked the Dak Bungalow roundabout. MLA Sandeep Saurabh said, "We want the resignation of the CEC."
PATNA: Left-wing student and youth organisations -- All India Students' Association (AISA) and Revolutionary Youth Association (RYA) -- on Tuesday staged a protest march in Patna in support of their demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in view of the alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
Hundreds of AISA and RYA members took out the protest march despite the state home department's directive stating that demonstrations at places other than the Gardanibagh dharna site would be considered a violation of the law.
Police deployed additional forces and cordoned off the area from JP Golambar to Gandhi Maidan to prevent the protesters from marching towards Lok Bhavan. Six Vajra riot-control vehicles and water cannons were also deployed as security was tightened around the protest site.
Activists from AISA, RYA and other organisations started their march from JP Golambar near Gandhi Maidan. Police detained some protesters as a large number of them jumped over the barricades near JP Golambar. Later, protesters blocked the Dak Bungalow roundabout, leading to a heavy traffic jam.
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CPI(ML) MLA from Paliganj, Sandeep Saurabh, also participated in the protest. He told media persons that a crisis gripped the country's democracy, as several revelations also proved it. "Despite the differences between the CEC and the two election commissioners, the entire SIR process was carried out. We want the resignation of the CEC," he added.
He also accused CEC Gyanesh Kumar of acting on behalf of the BJP and centralising the entire data uploaded on the ECI net by taking away the powers of local election officials. "We want the immediate resignation of Gyanesh Kumar," he told the media.
Meanwhile, the Patna district administration has designated Gardanibagh as the dharna or protest site in the state capital. "The venue of the protest has already been designated. Any demonstration elsewhere will be subject to legal action," a directive issued by the district administration said.
Patna District Magistrate Kundan Kumar and SSP Kartikey Sharma issued instructions that the designated site at Gardanibagh shall be used exclusively for demonstrations and agitations. No permission will be granted for demonstrations or agitations at locations other than the designated site, the two officials asserted.