Jantar Mantar protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar escalates; several detained, 11 Metro stations closed

The protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar escalated on Friday, as police detained AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj, CPM leader MA Baby, and several other protesters, including MPs from Kerala. Police also stopped and detained protesters attempting to reach the venue from Ashoka Road. Visuals from the spot showed police personnel carrying and dragging protesters into vehicles.

The protest was called by student and civil society groups, including the All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), along with RJD MP Manoj Jha and advocate Prashant Bhushan. The organisers are protesting the Election Commission’s functioning and its handling of electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Delhi Police had denied permission for the proposed gathering.

Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) has been imposed in the New Delhi district, restricting public meetings, processions, demonstrations, dharnas and other gatherings without prior permission. Police have deployed additional personnel and erected barricades around Jantar Mantar and other sensitive areas. Police sources said 3,000-4,000 people were expected to attend the protest.

The Delhi Metro also closed entry and exit at 11 stations, including Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat, Janpath, Patel Chowk and New Delhi, until further notice. Interchange facilities remained available at select stations.

Meanwhile, Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), has announced a parallel “Jail Bharo Andolan” at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park at 4 pm on Friday. Dipke had earlier said Mumbai Police denied permission for the group’s proposed protest against Kumar.
(With PTI inputs)