Day 2: Despite Detention, Hundreds Marched Towards Jantar Mantar

NEW DELHI: Notwithstanding massive detentions and continued police crackdowns on the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) stir seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commission Gyanesh Kumar over alleged "vote-chori" during the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, hundreds of protesters raised slogans and marched towards Jantar Mantar on the second day on Sunday. Despite the Supreme Court orders against illegal detentions, over 200 protesters were detained. Angry over the alleged police brutality, the CJP has now called for a nationwide movement to push its demand for CEC’s resignation, saying, “Jantar Manter 2.0 is on.”

“We are on the streets; we will stay on the streets. We will abide by the Constitution,” said Students Federation of India (SFI) leader Aishe Ghosh while announcing the Jantar Mantar 2.0 at a press conference in the national capital. Members of several student organisations, including the All India Students' Association (AISA) and the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), along with CJP and SFI supporters, were detained while trying to march to Jantar Mantar from different parts of the capital.

Central Delhi remained under heavy security arrangements to stop the protesters. As Jantar Mantar remained out of bounds, the protestors on Sunday shifted focus to nearby Connaught Place and swarmed its streets and bylanes, making the popular tourist destination a battleground of barricades, slogans, confrontation and detentions.

While Saturday saw flash protests, on Sunday the protesters were more concentrated in one area, raising slogans for Mr Kumar's resignation. They marched towards Jantar Mantar when security personnel pounced upon them and bundled them in buses. There were allegations of police brutality and Right-wing groups aiding the cops in assaulting protestors. Among those detained were CPI(M) MP John Brittas, AISA president Neha Bora, students, activists and journalists.

The AISA president clung to a barricade as security personnel dragged her away. The SFI alleged that male police personnel assaulted women protesters, including its leader Aishe Ghosh. It also claimed that Father Biju Xavier, vicar of Sacred Heart Church, was detained while recording the alleged police action.

Mr Brittas was injured after the Delhi police personnel allegedly manhandled him during Sunday's protest against the CEC. He collapsed on the steps of a police bus and was subsequently taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where CPI(M) general secretary M. A. Baby and RJD MP Manoj Jha visited him.

The CPI(M) alleged that Mr Brittas had been “brutally attacked” and left by the roadside in an injured and distressed condition. “Delhi Police has crossed all limits,” the party said. Mr Brittas accused the police of excessive force. “Modi and Shah will pay a heavy price for this. The Delhi police have become mad dogs,” he wrote on X.

After the incident, Mr Brittas wrote to President Droupadi Murmu, the Rajya Sabha chairman and the Chief Justice of India seeking urgent intervention, accountability and an independent investigation into the alleged police assault.

The Delhi police has registered 20 FIRs in connection with Saturday's CJP protest against the Chief Election Commissioner, officials said on Sunday

Shortly after being released from preventive detention, CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das vowed to continue their agitation against the CEC, saying the protest will now expand nationwide. They appealed to the political parties to unite against the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying the exercise raises questions about voting rights and should not be treated as the concern of any single political party.

The Congress party has announced a nationwide movement on Monday. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi have scheduled a meeting with the Chief Justice of India between 4 and 5 pm on Monday to seek his intervention on the issue of "vote chori".

Earlier on Sunday morning, Mr Dipke, Mr Ranka and Mr Das were released after being produced before the executive magistrate. Shortly after release, Mr Dipke left for Nagpur to attend the last rite rituals of his grandmother who died on Saturday. The three CJP leaders were released on the condition that they will not "breach peace" for a year.

“They have said there should be no breach of peace for a year. The breach of peace has been caused by (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi, (Union home minister) Amit Shah and Mr Kumar,” Mr Das said. Mr Ranka said developments over the past 72 hours had reminded people of the Emergency. “Even in 1975, trains were not shut,” he said, accusing the Prime Minister and Union home minister of turning an agitation against the Election Commission into a confrontation with the Opposition.

YouTuber Dhruv Rathee alleged that around 20 people in plain clothes entered his residence on Saturday morning and took him to different police stations, denying him access to a phone and a lawyer for around 22 to 23 hours.

The CJP leaders alleged that the Modi government had created an “emergency-like situation” through train cancellations, restrictions on protests and detention of activists. In a press conference, Mr Das alleged that the government is at war with its citizens, adding it could have invited a delegation for talks instead of restricting protesters seeking to demonstrate at a designated site.