The march had barely begun when the police stopped them. Around 350 students and activists had set out from the Vice-President’s House towards Jantar Mantar on Friday, carrying placards and raising slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Among them were All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora and activist Yogendra Yadav.
They didn’t reach Jantar Mantar.
Soon after being detained, N Balaji, a close associate of Bora who was part of the march, spoke exclusively to THE WEEK from police custody, recounting how the group was stopped and subsequently taken to the New Friends Colony police station.
A large number of police personnel were deployed along the route as students holding posters reading “Naam kata list se, ab ja tu seat se,” were stopped and taken away in buses.
“We were peacefully marching towards Jantar Mantar. Our only demand is the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar,” Balaji told THE WEEK.
The presence of Bora and Yadav gave the demonstration a wider political and civil-society character, but the mood among the students, Balaji said, remained that of a protest rather than a confrontation.“We were not going there to create any disturbance. We were marching to raise our concerns. But before we could reach Jantar Mantar, the police stopped us,” Balaji said.
For many students, the detention came as a surprise. Many had come to Delhi to participate in a protest they believed should be heard at the capital's designated protest site. Instead, their march ended inside police vehicles.
The protest comes amid an ongoing controversy over the Election Commission's handling of electoral-roll revision, particularly the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), with opposition parties and civil society groups raising questions about the process and demanding greater transparency.
The protesters have turned their criticism increasingly towards Kumar himself, with resignation becoming their central demand. “We want the Election Commission to answer questions. We want Gyanesh Kumar to resign,” Balaji said.
“We will continue to raise the issue,” Balaji added.
