Delhi Police Detain Protestors Demanding Chief Election Commissioner's Resignation

Several protestors, including AISA national president Neha Bora and Swaraj India member Yogendra Yadav, were detained by Delhi police on Saturday while marching towards Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. A day ago, Bora and Yadav were among around 550 protestors who were detained while making their way towards Jantar Mantar for a similar protest. On both days, police said that it had not granted permission for the protests to be held. On Saturday, the protestors had gathered for a second consecutive day of protest against the CEC and had begun marching towards Jantar Mantar. Along with Bora, Yadav and student activists, those gathered also included Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal and advocate Prashant Bhushan. They crossed the first set of barricades before police stopped them near Jantar Mantar Road and moved them into buses. Bora and other protestors were seen raising slogans while being detained. While there have been two days of attempts to hold protests against the CEC in Jantar Mantar, security has been beefed up in Central Delhi. Prohibitory orders have been issued in the New Delhi district, around 5000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed and multiple layers of barricades erected. The police have registered three FIRs against unidentified people in connection with Friday’s protest, for disobedience of an order issued by a public servant, obstruction of a public servant in the discharge of duty, use of criminal force against a public servant, and acts committed by several persons in furtherance of a common intention.