SIR row turns Gandhi Jayanti into a day of street protests across cities

On Gandhi Jayanti, protests calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar were held in multiple cities, including in both Mumbai and Delhi. The protests are a result of the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and concerns about transparency in the poll panel’s work. Fellow election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over ten months to decisions and also alleged that decisions were made without their knowledge.

While in Mumbai, celebrities and memes marked their presence at a denied venue, in Delhi, Opposition leaders and protesters spent Gandhi Jayanti in police buses.

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) used Mumbai as the starting point for a larger campaign. Meanwhile, Opposition parties and student groups brought the same demand to Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Police in both cities had denied permission for the protests.

In Mumbai, the protestors under the CJP banner gathered at Shivaji Park in Dadar. Officials cited a 2013 Bombay High Court order limiting the ground’s use and the lack of civic clearance. Barricades were set up near Dadar station and security was tight, but young men and women still made it to the maidan, which has hosted major political rallies for years.

Founder and national convenor of CJP, Abhijeet Dipke scheduled the gathering for 4 pm and described it as the first in a series of protests planned for Goa, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and other cities. The campaign would end in Delhi by the end of the month if Kumar did not resign. Dipke said the party would not join INDIA bloc protests, but still called for broader political support. Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena offered their backing.

The ground was filled with tricolours while placards read “Gyanesh BRO, JUST RESIGN”. Memes, film-dialogue references and satirical posters sat alongside student flags from the Students’ Federation of India and the All India Students’ Federation. Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah appeared and was filmed embracing Dipke; the convenor posted the clip with the caption “Am I dreaming or what?” Singer Vishal Dadlani was among those present, as were Shabana Azmi and Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson.

Speaking to the crowd, Dipke criticised the Union Government and repeated the party’s demands. These included Kumar’s resignation, criminal charges against him, a freeze on the SIR, restoration of the January 2025 voter list, repeal of the 2023 law on appointments to the poll panel, and a more transparent selection process involving civil society.

Protests in the national Capital, meanwhile, played out differently. Permission for a gathering at Jantar Mantar had been refused while prohibitory orders were in force in the New Delhi district. Multiple Metro stations, including Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat and Jantar Mantar, were shut down and mobile internet was restricted in parts of the area. Protestors still tried to reach the site from Ashoka Road, Janpath and Tolstoy Road.

Delhi Police stopped protesters at roundabouts, put groups into buses, and took them to stations such as Fatehpur Beri and Badarpur. Early reports said police detained more than 500 people. Later, police estimates rose to about 700.

Those detained included AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj, Sanjeev Jha, former chief minister Atishi, and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, who was stopped at North Avenue. Bharadwaj said he and others were detained despite the peaceful protest and encouraged supporters to keep coming. Atishi, speaking from a police bus, called the police response barbaric and said the fight against what the party calls “vote chori” would go on.

AISA national president Neha Bora arrived with Yogendra Yadav and RTI activist Nikhil Dey after many had already been detained. CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby and RJD’s Manoj Jha were also among those held or blocked. Protesters asked why a designated protest site needed new permission, but police said no clearance was given and kept warning people not to gather.