Opposition and CJP continue detentions in Delhi protests demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation

Delhi Police have detained opposition leaders, student activists and members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) during successive protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. On 12 October the INDIA bloc marched toward the Supreme Court; security forces stopped the procession at Bhagwan Dass Road. Earlier marches toward Jantar Mantar on 2, 4 and 10 October also ended in detentions, with reports of more than 2,000 people held across the sequence of demonstrations and parts of central Delhi sealed.

Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Mallikarjun Kharge and other senior figures have been among those detained. Gandhi has said the protests will continue until Kumar resigns and has described the campaign as a fight to protect democracy. CJP leaders including Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained after attempting to enter the barricaded Jantar Mantar site. The movement has also held large rallies in Mumbai, including one at Shivaji Park attended by Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray.

The core allegation is that the SIR removed roughly 130 million names from voter lists in a manner that disproportionately benefited the BJP. An Indian Express report cited internal objections by the other two election commissioners to aspects of Kumar’s revisions. The Election Commission has rejected claims of wrongdoing. Congress and other parties have submitted memoranda and plan further legal steps, including approaches to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court stayed proceedings in a separate 2019 defamation case against Gandhi on 13 October.

Kerala’s assembly passed a resolution seeking Kumar’s removal. West Bengal and other states have seen related activity. Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear pleas concerning protest standard operating procedures. The government has maintained security deployments and has not indicated any change in the CEC’s position.

The protests combine street mobilisation by opposition parties and a youth-led group with parliamentary and legal tracks. Detention numbers and the repeated sealing of central Delhi sites are the measurable outcomes to date. Whether the SIR proceeds, is modified or is challenged successfully in court remains open.