04 October,2026 08:08 AM IST | New Delhi | Agencies
Yogendra Yadav and Neha Bora
Around 150 protestors, including AISA national president Neha Bora, activist Yogendra Yadav, and senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, were detained on Saturday as they marched from Patel Chowk towards Jantar Mantar to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and demand his resignation, an official said. AISA members said senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Nitya Ramakrishnan, Pallav Sisodia also joined Bora.
AISA members alleged that a male police officer manhandled Bora and that another Delhi Police officer abused her. The allegations could not be independently verified immediately.
Prashant Bhushan (in blue) joined protests even after thousands were detained on Friday. PICS/PTI
The fresh mobilisation came after Bora called on activists to return to Jantar Mantar at 1 pm and continue their protest. On Friday, nearly 1000 protestors were detained as police and paramilitary personnel prevented large groups from reaching the protest site. Many of those detained were subsequently released. Saturday saw continued police deployment around Jantar Mantar.
The demonstration comes days after a national daily reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected on record at least 14 times over the last 10 months to decisions and orders on the SIR.
The EC has asserted that differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberations in any institution and that all its orders carry full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.
Delhi Police has registered at least three FIRs in connection with Friday's protests. Nobody has been named as an accused, though details of the organisers have been mentioned in their contents, an officer said.
After West Bengal leader Mamata Banerjee extended her support to the CJP, Abhijeet Dipke made a post on X saying, "Thank you @MamataOfficial ma'am..."
TMC leader Derek O'Brien shared the post, which was subsequently restricted by X, citing the reasons: "Due to local regulations." Dipke later shared O'Brien's post and said, "Won't be surprised if the govt takes down my handle before Oct 10."
Abhijeet Dipke
Cockroach Janta Party leader Abhijeet Dipke on Friday night announced a fresh protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on October 10 if CEC Gyanesh Kumar did not resign. "...cockroaches from across India will march to Delhi," he said in a post on X. On Saturday morning, he reiterated that the protest will be peaceful. "Ours will be a peaceful protest. We will walk on the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi," he said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday demanded dissolving the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, saying that "all the elections were illegal" and that the Prime Minister, Home Minister, and Chief Ministers of all the states were "illegal". Calling for fresh polls conducted on ballot papers, he alleged that the EVMs are being misused and said that "their own people" are saying this.
He alleged that the ongoing SIR of the electoral roll has many irregularities and is undermining democracy, pointing out that the government is making many mistakes in the process. He told reporters that the opposition would continue to hold agitations across the country against the SIR exercise and alleged misuse of the electoral process.
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