Delhi Police detained more than 700 protesters on Friday during demonstrations near Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The gatherings were organized by opposition parties including the Aam Aadmi Party and student organizations such as the Students' Federation of India, All India Students' Association, and National Students' Union of India. Participants demanded Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and the deletion of voters.
Police had denied permission for the event and imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita in central Delhi. Officers stopped groups attempting to reach the site from roads including Ashoka Road and Janpath, loading many into buses for transport to police stations such as Fatehpur Beri and Badarpur.
Among those detained were former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, and other party figures. Student activists including AISA national president Neha Bora were also taken into custody. Reports indicated that around 700 members of SFI alone were intercepted at one location.
The Election Commission has rejected claims of wrongdoing in the revision process. Protesters raised slogans accusing the commission of irregularities, while police maintained that the assembly was unauthorized.
Internet services were suspended in the area during the operation, and additional security forces including the Rapid Action Force were deployed. Some accounts placed the total number detained across Delhi closer to 1,100, though police figures for the main site centered on 700.
The protest occurred on Gandhi Jayanti amid heightened security around Parliament and key sites in the capital.
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