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Delhi police detained hundreds of activists and students during a third-day march demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Hundreds of civil society activists, students, and youth organization members participated in an All India Students’ Association (AISA)-backed citizen march in central Delhi on Sunday, October 4, 2026. The demonstration, now in its third consecutive day, demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The protest concluded with authorities detaining at least 500 individuals after police blocked the marchers' path to Jantar Mantar.
The demonstrators launched their march from Andhra Bhavan on Ashoka Road at approximately 4 p.m. Their progress was halted by heavy police deployment and barricades at the Shangri-La intersection, located roughly 1.5 kilometers from their starting point. As participants attempted to push forward, police initiated mass detentions, resulting in physical clashes along a 500-meter stretch of Ashoka Road. Men and women were forced into large private buses marked “on police duty,” with reports of protesters being dragged and manhandled during the arrests. At one point, female police officers were observed pulling female protesters by their legs into detention vehicles, while other officers were seen forcing a male protester into a bus with his head pressed down.
Amidst the chaos, slogans of “Delhi Police murdabad” and “Gyanesh Kumar chor hai” echoed as protesters confronted the heavy security presence. The area saw a temporary suspension of traffic as Delhi Police personnel, Central Armed Police Forces, and the Rapid Action Force were deployed alongside PCR vans. The confrontation intensified into the evening, with groups of students gathering at various points around the Shangri-La intersection. In a rare act of resistance, protesters managed to break the rear window and pane of a detention bus, allowing several individuals to jump out. Authorities ultimately used at least 10 to 15 buses and vans to transport the detained protesters away from the site.
The protest featured prominent figures from civil society, including 83-year-old screenwriter and director Saeed Akhtar Mirza, who participated from a wheelchair. Mirza expressed solidarity with the younger generation, stating, “These children have faced so much. History is being created and I want to be a part of it.” He further criticized the government, adding, “This regime is corrupt, communal and criminal. It should go.”
Aditi, a student journalist who had previously filed a complaint alleging sexual harassment and manhandling by a police officer during Saturday’s protest, returned to the demonstration on Sunday. Her presence underscored the personal risks activists were willing to take. Aditi declared, “I am back at the protest today. I do not care if I am detained or if they try to do anything. I feel whatever is happening is not right, and we have to fight. If we will not, then who will?”
AISA president Neha was also detained for the third consecutive time during the day’s events. She was taken away around 5 p.m. from Ashoka Road, near the Shangri-La hotel, in a private SUV by male police personnel who allegedly lacked name badges. AISA immediately demanded her release, noting that her associates had not been initially informed of her whereabouts. She was later released from the Narela Industrial Area police station around 8 p.m. Following her release, Neha condemned the repeated detentions, framing the protests as a necessary assertion of civic rights.
“They think we are dogs, cockroaches or insects - that they can pick us up, throw us into vehicles, take us 50 kilometres away, beat us and push us around,” Neha stated. “But today we showed that we are citizens of this country. We have the right to question those in power and ask how the Election Commission and the ruling party are dealing with our votes. If we are repeatedly detained for protesting at a designated protest site, then returning to that place and reclaiming our right to protest is also our right.”
The crackdown highlights the deepening tension between civil society organizations and state authorities over the perceived integrity of the electoral process. The demand for the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision and the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner reflects broader concerns regarding political accountability. As police continue to utilize detention vehicles and physical force to disperse gatherings, the incident underscores the fragility of protest rights in the capital. The return of detained journalists and student leaders to the streets suggests that the mobilization against the current electoral revision is likely to persist, challenging the government's narrative of administrative normalcy. The use of private buses for detention and the alleged mishandling of women protesters have further inflamed public sentiment, potentially leading to increased scrutiny of police conduct in future demonstrations.
The third-day detention of hundreds of protesters signals a hardening of police strategy against civil dissent regarding electoral reforms. Based on the source material, the immediate deployment of rapid reaction forces and the use of private vehicles for mass detention indicate an intent to suppress visibility rather than manage the crowd. The repeated arrests of key organizational figures like AISA’s president and the detention of journalists suggest a targeted approach to disrupt leadership. If the government does not address the core allegations regarding the electoral rolls, the pattern of daily marches and subsequent mass detentions is likely to continue, potentially drawing greater national attention to the controversy surrounding the Chief Election Commissioner's tenure.
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