New Delhi: Protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar turned tense in Delhi on Sunday, with AAP workers and student groups breaking police barricades and attempting to march towards Jantar Mantar.
AAP workers, members of its student wing ASAP, NSUI, AISA and other organisations joined the demonstrations amid controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Police and Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed across central Delhi.
Protesters were seen blocking buses carrying detainees and clashing with security personnel. Over a dozen AAP members were detained at India Gate, including Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj and MLA Sanjeev Jha. According to police, at least 25 AAP personnel have been detained.
Bharadwaj alleged that police manhandled him during the protest. Jha argued that worries over voting rights should be addressed by transparency and facts.
AISA activists further claimed that national president Neha Bora was driven away in a private vehicle without an official number plate. Police had not immediately responded to the allegation.
The protests followed earlier demonstrations in which over 500 people were reportedly detained. Opposition parties and student groups are demanding accountability over alleged irregularities in the SIR process, while the Election Commission has defended its procedures and said its orders follow established legal processes.