Anti-CEC Protest: Police detain over 700 protesters in Delhi
Delhi Police on Friday detained more than 700 people, including opposition leaders and members of student organizations, News agency PTI reported in and around the grounds of Jantar Mantar, amid a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Activists, opposition leaders and student bodies are demanding Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the controversial revision of electoral rolls, which led to mass deletion of voters.
The detentions were made under prohibitory orders issued earlier on Friday to prevent people from assembling, chanting, demonstrating, or giving speeches.
Authorities had earlier clarified that they had not granted protesters permission to demonstrate in central Delhi.
Why are people protesting?
Pressure on Kumar intensified in September after the Indian Express newspaper reported that two of the three election commissioners had formally raised concerns over aspects of the Special Intensive Revisions (SIR) at least 14 times over the past 10 months.
The objections relate to new voter registrations, deletion and restoration of voters in the rolls, filing of appeals against orders restoring voters in the SIR process and the custody and security of the entire electoral roll itself, the report said.
In one of the objections, Sandhu complained that the Election Commission acted against the written advice of two commissioners and claimed its action was "unauthorized and illegal."
The Election Commission had dismissed concerns of an internal rift, saying differing views were a "normal" part of deliberations and that all its actions were lawful.
Over 130 million Indian voters have been struck off the draft voters list across 30 states and union territories, the Indian Express report said, putting the ECI in the middle of a national debate over who votes and who doesn't.
How does this related to Narendra Modi's BJP?
The protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar are partially being viewed as renewed pressure on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
The reason behind it may not be immediately obvious since the Election Commission of India (ECI) is meant to be an independent body. But this might help:
Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, along with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, comprise the Election Commission of India.
They are responsible for overseeing elections and related projects such as the SIR exercise, which is meant to remove redundancies in India's electoral rolls.
Opposition leaders and critics have argued that those struck off in the exercise include a heavy proportion of minority voters and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP is using it as a tool to secure future electoral wins. They have also accused ECI chief Kumar of doing the central government's bidding even though the institute is meant to maintain its independence.
The BJP has dismissed those claims, arguing that those removed largely involve dead voters and illegal infiltrators, thereby protecting India's democracy.
Moreover, a 2023 law introduced by the Modi government changed the way the ECI Chief was appointed, giving the government a greater say. Critics have questioned Kumar's credibility and ability to stay independent given the government's heavy role in his appointment. ALSO READ: ‘Hanuman Chalisa Gave Me Strength’: Captain Smit Machchhar Tells PM Modi About Flydubai Ordeal
