Delhi Police on Friday detained several protesters as a march against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls moved towards the headquarters of the Election Commission of India in central Delhi, PTI reported. Police had clamped Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which prohibits mass gatherings, in the area.
The march was called by the Delhi Coordination Committee of People Against SIR, a people's collective, and began near Gole Dak Khana, at the intersection of Kalibari Marg and Bhai Vir Singh Marg. Participants carried the national flag and banners demanding an end to the revision exercise, and raised slogans including “Gyanesh Kumar, resign”, “Halt SIR” and “Won't tolerate vote theft”. The protesters allege that the SIR exercise has led to the deletion of numerous voters from the electoral rolls — an allegation the Election Commission has not accepted in this report.
The participants included students, youth and farmers, and were joined by senior CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat and members of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) and the All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO); the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) and the Students' Federation of India (SFI) supported the march, with activists from Delhi, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh taking part. Karat told PTI the struggle would continue until Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resigns, and CPI leader Annie Raja, quoted by PTI, said the protesters had gathered to protect the country from what she alleged were the Centre's fraudulent methods.
What is solid
- The anti-SIR march took place in central Delhi on October 23, starting near Gole Dak Khana and heading towards the Election Commission headquarters
- Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed in large numbers, Section 163 of the BNSS was in force, and police stopped the march and detained protesters
- Stopped on Ashoka Road, the protesters sat down and held what organisers had announced as a 'People's Parliament'
What is only claimed
- How many people were detained: police said around 20 protesters were detained and later released, while the Indian Express reported more than 100 detentions
- The protesters' allegation that the SIR exercise has wrongly deleted voters from the electoral rolls
Delhi Traffic Police had announced diversions from 1 pm to 5 pm around Bangla Sahib, Connaught Place, Parliament Street and Jantar Mantar in view of the march. Organisers said the Delhi demonstration was part of a broader coordinated campaign, with protests planned across 88 cities in 18 states.