AISA and the Indian Youth Congress have planned separate marches from India Gate to Jantar Mantar on Sunday, demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over the SIR controversy.
Delhi Police have deployed around 5,000 personnel, along with Rapid Action Force and paramilitary forces, ahead of the protests.
Three women journalists have accused Delhi Police officers of sexual harassment during Saturday’s protest. Police have forwarded their complaints to the Crime Branch for investigation.
Two protest marches against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar are scheduled to be held in Delhi on Sunday, with around 5,000 police personnel deployed ahead of the gatherings, according to Hindustan Times.
The Citizens’ March, led by the All India Students’ Association (AISA), is scheduled to begin at 3 pm, while the Indian Youth Congress march is planned for 5 pm. Both are set to proceed from India Gate to Jantar Mantar to protest alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Police have also deployed Rapid Action Force personnel and other paramilitary forces in the national capital, the publication reported. Neither march has received police permission, according to the report.
The protests come amid a continuing row over the Election Commission’s conduct of the SIR exercise and demands for Kumar’s resignation.
Women’s Safety Concerns
The Citizens’ March is also expected to raise concerns over women’s safety following allegations that female students and journalists were manhandled during Saturday’s protest against the Election Commission.
In a post on X on Saturday, AISA alleged that Delhi Police personnel had assaulted and groped female students and journalists during the demonstration.
Three women journalists have accused senior Delhi Police officers of sexual harassment during Saturday’s protest at Jantar Mantar. They alleged that officers deployed at the site touched them inappropriately while they were reporting.
Delhi Police said on Sunday that it had received complaints from the three journalists and forwarded them to the Crime Branch for an impartial inquiry.
“On October 3, during the protest in New Delhi area, while being in law and order situation, allegations of sexual harassment were made by three female journalists against police officers,” the police said in a post on X.
The statement added that the New Delhi district had received the complaints and transferred them to the Crime Branch for investigation.
On Saturday evening, several independent journalists and social media influencers protested outside Parliament Street police station, demanding the registration of FIRs against the officers accused of misconduct, including an assistant commissioner of police.
Youth Congress March
The Indian Youth Congress has also announced a march from India Gate to Jantar Mantar at 5 pm, demanding Kumar’s resignation.
Announcing the protest on X, the organisation said, “Delhi, we have plans tonight. No cafes. No clubs. Bas mashaal, placards aur thode uncomfortable sawaal.”
Police have stepped up security ahead of the marches, with personnel equipped with anti-riot gear. Police vehicles and PCR vans are to be stationed on roads leading to Jantar Mantar, while CCTV footage will be monitored from the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi).
Drones may also be deployed to monitor crowds and assess security requirements, depending on the law-and-order situation. Officials said the Ministry of Home Affairs had been briefed on the security arrangements, reported Hindustan Times.
