Mumbai lawyers gather to back Delhi advocates protesting CEC, SIR process

A group of lawyers gathered at Hutatma Chowk in south Mumbai on Monday evening to express solidarity with advocates who alleged police brutality during a protest in New Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The lawyers read the Preamble to the Constitution and sang the national anthem while condemning the alleged police action against their counterparts in the national capital.

The gathering, however, was quickly dispersed by Mumbai Police, who said prior permission was required for any protest or assembly at the site.

A team of police officials arrived as the lawyers were assembling and asked them to leave. The crowd was dispersed shortly after some participants began displaying posters.

The lawyers said they had gathered to defend democracy and citizens' democratic rights, and to condemn what they described as police brutality and the illegal detention of advocates and other protesters in Delhi.

The protest in the national capital was held on Saturday to demand Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise, which involves revising electoral rolls.