Students and activists attempting to march to Jantar Mantar were detained at multiple points in central Delhi on Friday as the police barricaded most roads leading to the protest site. Several protesters who managed to get out of police buses were detained again as they tried to continue the demonstration.
The protest, called for Gandhi Jayanti by several student and youth organisations, political leaders and civil-society activists, was over alleged irregularities in the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The protesters sought the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Among the organisations that gave the call were the All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI).
With routes to Jantar Mantar blocked, the groups began marching from different points in central Delhi. AISA members eventually set out from the Vice-President’s Enclave, while SFI and DYFI members began their march from Mandi House. Members of the Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) marched from Raisina Road.
AISA president Neha Bora, activist Yogendra Yadav and other protesters who attempted to approach Jantar Mantar from Patel Chowk were stopped at Samrat Ashok Chowk.
Ms. Bora was held by at least four women Delhi Police personnel wearing pink vests without nameplates and pulled towards a police bus. Around them several Central Armed Police Forces personnel were also present. The student protesters were put in the bus and driven away.
NSUI president Vinod Jakhar, addressing protesters who marched towards Jantar Mantar, questioned the restrictions on the protest.
“Why are the government and the Election Commission afraid of questions? If the electoral process is transparent, then answer the questions before the people. Instead of putting up barricades and detaining students, the authorities should address the concerns being raised about voters and their democratic rights,” he said.
Detained repeatedly
Near Shangri-La on Ashoka Road, however, other AISA members formed a human chain in front of the bus. Ms. Bora and a few protesters then jumped out and ran back towards the demonstration. They sat on the road and raised slogans against Mr. Kumar and called to “end the dictatorship of Modi” before being surrounded by security personnel and taken back to the buses. Ms. Bora subsequently managed to get out of the bus once more and was detained again.
Several other protesters, including women, also jumped out of police buses during the day, only to be detained once more. At one point, people nearby helped women protesters get down safely from a bus. Several women taking part in the demonstration wore masks to avoid being identified.
Akshat Shikhar, a Delhi University student associated with AISA, criticised the requirement for police permission to hold the protest. “The fact that we need permission from the police to protest is fundamentally flawed. They are violating our rights in the way they are striking names off the rolls,” he said.
Mr. Shikhar said he had got out of a police bus twice. “The first time, we opened the door and managed to come out. The second time, we pointed out that we were in the women’s bus, where we should not have been,” he said.
Routes cordoned off
Smaller groups and independent protesters, meanwhile, continued to arrive at different points around Jantar Mantar, looking for routes to reach the demonstration without being detained.
A group of women students moved around the area looking for a place where they could protest. Mudita of the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan said, “It is being treated like a terrorist site. First, you don’t give us the right to vote. Then, you don’t give us the right to protest against it. If everything is going to be dictated, we may as well call it a dictatorship.”
Members of the Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India and Disha Students’ Organisation were also detained. Another group gathered near Shangri-La after being prevented from proceeding towards Jantar Mantar. Protesters said they had become scattered as groups gathering in the area were being detained.
Meanwhile, Anand Prakash, who had come to Delhi from Bareilly to visit a family member, said he had decided to go to Jantar Mantar to see the protest but could not reach the site. “I thought I should come here to see what is happening. But now all the roads are shut, so I might go back,” he said.
Published – October 03, 2026 01:19 am IST
