Police detain activists in Delhi over demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner

Indian police detained activists and student leaders in New Delhi during demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. According to The Hindu and scroll.in, public interest lawyer Prashant Bhushan and All India Students' Association president Neha Bora were among those taken into custody at Jantar Mantar. The Hindu and Reuters reported that the protests were led by Generation Z participants targeting controversial changes to voter rolls. [1][3][8][9][10]

Reports differed on the total number of people held by law enforcement during the multi-day actions in the capital. The Hindu reported that about 150 to over 500 protesters were detained, whereas The Times of India reported that over 700 people were detained in Delhi. The Federal and The Quint also confirmed mass detentions of senior advocates and student activists in the capital, while The Times of India added that thousands attended related actions in Mumbai. [1][2][5][6]

Gyanesh Kumar is a former IAS officer serving as the Chief Election Commissioner of India and is the first to be appointed under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act of 2023. Neha Bora is a PhD student who serves as National President of the All India Students' Association. Prashant Bhushan is a Supreme Court public interest lawyer and a co-founder of Swaraj Abhiyan. [7][8][9]

Political pressure against the election chief has intensified alongside the street actions. According to The South First, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge demanded the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies as public calls for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar grew louder. As FTMQ News reported earlier, human rights organization Amnesty International criticized the police crackdown on the demonstrations. [4][10]