Delhi witnessed three consecutive days of protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with demonstrators demanding greater transparency and Kumar’s resignation.
The protests, centred around attempts to reach Jantar Mantar, escalated on October 4, when police said around 110 people were detained and 15 police personnel were injured, including women officers who were reportedly bitten. A separate Hindustan Times report put the number detained on Sunday at over 120.
Police said the demonstrations had not been granted permission and that prohibitory orders were in force, while protesters alleged manhandling and excessive restrictions on their right to dissent. AISA president Neha Bora, activist Yogendra Yadav and other political and civil-society figures were among those detained.
The latest development on October 5 is that the Supreme Court is hearing petitions challenging the functioning of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and seeking scrutiny of the SIR exercise, adding a legal dimension to an already escalating political and civic dispute.
Three Days Of Tension
The mobilisation began on October 2, when hundreds of protesters from student groups, civil-society organisations and political parties attempted to move towards Jantar Mantar. Police had denied permission for the demonstrations and detained protesters, including AISA’s Neha Bora and AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj.
Reports on the first day differ over the exact number detained, with The Indian Express reporting around 500 and other reports citing a higher figure. On October 3, the protest entered its second day, with nearly 160 people detained according to police sources cited by Hindustan Times.
Bora, Yogendra Yadav, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan and activist Anjali Bhardwaj were among those detained. By Sunday, October 4, the confrontation had become more intense, with separate marches by AISA, Congress and AAP groups and around 5,000 security personnel deployed across central Delhi. Police said demonstrators broke barricades and blocked buses carrying detainees.
Around 110 people were detained and 15 police personnel injured, according to police sources cited by Business Standard and India Today. Delhi Police said medical examinations of the injured personnel were being conducted and that further legal action would depend on the medical reports.
Why SIR Matters
At the centre of the protests is the Election Commission’s SIR exercise, which is intended to verify electoral rolls and identify eligible voters while removing names that are no longer eligible. Opposition parties, activists and civil-society groups have raised concerns about the possibility of eligible voters being excluded and questioned the transparency of decisions taken during the exercise.
Those concerns intensified after an Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months concerning decisions linked to electoral rolls and related processes. The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion of an institutional breakdown.
It has said that individual commissioners can express views during deliberations, but that all final decisions, including the nationwide SIR order, were taken unanimously with the approval of all three commissioners. The poll panel has also said that the Supreme Court upheld its original SIR order. Meanwhile, the legal challenge has moved forward: the Supreme Court is hearing petitions seeking action against the CEC and questioning the legality and constitutional basis of the nationwide SIR.
During proceedings, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan observed that any process resulting in wholesale disenfranchisement would be constitutionally impermissible, underlining why the verification and deletion of voter names has become such a consequential issue.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The right to vote and the right to peaceful dissent are both fundamental to a functioning democracy. Electoral-roll revision can serve a legitimate public purpose when it removes inaccuracies and protects the integrity of elections, but public confidence depends equally on the process being transparent, accessible and capable of answering legitimate questions.
At the same time, demonstrations must remain peaceful, and allegations of violence or misconduct by either protesters or police should be investigated on evidence rather than assumption. This becomes particularly important after three women journalists covering the October 3 protests complained of sexual harassment and manhandling by police personnel; Delhi Police has transferred the complaints to the Crime Branch, which is examining CCTV footage and other evidence.
Neha Bora was also released after her detention, while AISA alleged that her phone and bag were not returned immediately – a claim reported by PTI but not independently established. The larger question is therefore not simply who was detained or who clashed with whom.
It is whether disagreements over electoral reform can be resolved through transparent institutions, due process and peaceful dialogue rather than repeated confrontation on the streets. As the Supreme Court examines the legal questions surrounding the SIR and the protests continue to shape public debate, how can India protect both the integrity of its electoral rolls and citizens’ confidence in the democratic process?
