Left student unions and several civil society organisations staged large-scale protests in New Delhi on Friday, 2 October — Gandhi Jayanti — demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, with police detaining several demonstrators after denying permission for the gathering at Jantar Mantar.

Scale of the Mobilisation

Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI-M] General Secretary M.A. Baby said thousands of youth and student activists from the party-affiliated Students' Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) had arrived in Delhi from across the country. Baby described it as 'the biggest mobilisation in Delhi today,' adding that activists had come to 'strongly register their demand that Gyanesh Kumar, who has been nakedly violating all existing rules of the functioning of the Election Commission, should be removed.'

He also outlined a broader escalation plan: an INDIA bloc rally scheduled for 1 November, and a march by INDIA bloc MPs and others on 6 October. 'As he is not resigning, we will continue to protest,' Baby said.

What Protesters Are Alleging

CPI-M leader Brinda Karat alleged that the Election Commission's actions had undermined voting rights, specifically claiming that nearly 13 crore voters had been 'illegally deleted' under Gyanesh Kumar's leadership. She demanded an immediate end to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, describing it as a threat to democratic participation. Invoking the occasion, Karat said: 'On Gandhi Jayanti, we are pledging to defend the principles for which Gandhi ji fought, and one of those rights is the equal right to vote.'

Rajya Sabha member A.A. Rahim said Delhi Police's denial of permission had forced protesters to proceed without authorisation. 'We will not surrender to authoritarianism. Peaceful protests are our right; how can they prevent us?' Rahim said, pledging to continue the fight to 'safeguard the Indian Constitution.'

Police Restrictions and Detentions

Delhi Police had imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 in the Jantar Mantar area. The orders prohibit public gatherings or assemblies of five or more people, processions, demonstrations, picketing, and dharnas without prior written permission, and also restrict sloganeering and speeches without prior approval.

Despite the restrictions, a large number of protesters gathered, and several were detained after police denied permission for the demonstration. Karat responded sharply to the detentions: 'What is detention? Detention versus deletion,' drawing a pointed comparison between the curbing of protesters and the alleged removal of voters from electoral rolls. 'We don't require permission to defend democracy,' she added.

Context: The SIR Controversy

The protests centre on the Election Commission's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which the Left and several Opposition parties allege has resulted in the large-scale, arbitrary deletion of voter names. Critics argue the process disproportionately affects marginalised communities. This comes amid a broader Opposition campaign questioning the independence and functioning of the Election Commission under the current CEC. Notably, the timing of the protest — on Gandhi Jayanti — was a deliberate political signal, with speakers repeatedly invoking democratic rights and constitutional values.

What Happens Next

The INDIA bloc has announced that its MPs will march on 6 October, and a larger national rally is planned for 1 November. The protests are expected to intensify as the Opposition keeps pressure on the Election Commission over the SIR exercise and broader electoral roll concerns.