Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 3: Nearly 1,000 people, including political leaders, students and activists from various civil society organisations, were detained by Delhi Police during a protest near Jantar Mantar on Friday against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The protesters were demanding Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged mass deletion of voters. Several of those detained were released later at different times.
Police said permission had not been granted for the protest and prohibitory orders were imposed in the New Delhi district. Around 5,000 Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across the Lutyens’ zone and surrounding areas, with more than 10 companies of paramilitary forces brought in as part of the security arrangements.
Among those detained were AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi, Sanjay Singh, Kuldeep Kumar, Jarnail Singh and Sanjeev Jha; AISA national president Neha Bora; civil society activist Yogendra Yadav; RJD MP Manoj Jha; CPI Rajya Sabha MP P Sandesh; AISA national general secretary Prasenjeet Kumar; Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib; NSUI national president Vinod Jakhar; and DYFI national president A A Rahim.
AAP leaders Atishi, Anurag Dhanda and Kuldeep Kumar were taken to Fatehpur Beri police station, while Sanjay Singh, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Sanjeev Jha were taken to Dwarka Sector 23 police station. Other detainees were taken to Karawal Nagar, Badarpur and other police stations across the city.
Earlier in the day, police said more than 700 protesters had been detained from Jantar Mantar and nearby areas. The number later rose to nearly 1,000 as the day's operation continued, according to police sources.
Barricades were erected at Jantar Mantar and surrounding roads to prevent protesters from assembling. Police also used drones to monitor sensitive and crowded locations and deployed additional personnel when the number of protesters increased at particular spots.
Police sources said they had received inputs that around 4,000 to 5,000 people could gather in the area and had made security arrangements accordingly. Personnel were also deployed in different districts to prevent large groups from assembling.
The security operation included taking groups of protesters away in buses. Some detained students were seen climbing out of bus windows and returning to the protest, following which they were taken back into the buses. Students as well as elderly people participated in the demonstration.
Sashastra Seema Bal personnel were more visible than the Rapid Action Force during the operation. The paramilitary personnel deployed at the site were not seen carrying batons and were seen speaking to protesters and escorting them to buses.
Minor scuffles were reported at some locations as police stopped protesters. Some police personnel suffered minor injuries, according to sources.
Police officials said the protest and the locations where people gathered were videographed and personnel were directed to preserve the footage.
Several videos allegedly showing police personnel assaulting protesters also surfaced on social media. Officials said the authenticity of the videos, the identities of the personnel shown and the locations of the alleged incidents were being verified.
Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar, along with senior officers, reviewed the security arrangements at Jantar Mantar. A detailed report on the protest was also submitted to the commissioner, sources said.
Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita was imposed ahead of the protest, prohibiting unauthorised assemblies, processions, sit-ins and sloganeering in the area. Restrictions were also imposed on carrying sticks, batons, swords and spears.
Security personnel were deployed at Delhi's borders with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Several buses and four-wheelers were stopped as police sought to prevent protesters from entering the capital, according to sources.
The Delhi Police had issued a traffic advisory on social media a day before the protest, asking commuters to check the advisory before travelling towards the Lutyens’ zone and follow diversion signs and instructions from traffic personnel.
The restrictions resulted in congestion and diversions on several roads, including routes towards Barakhamba Road, Hailey Road, Patel Chowk, GPO, Tolstoy Marg, Jantar Mantar Road, Parliament Street and Ashoka Road.
Internet services were also suspended in the area as part of the security measures, while entry and exit at several Metro stations around Jantar Mantar were temporarily closed. Police said the restrictions were imposed over security and crowd-management concerns.