Protests Against Election Chief Gyanesh Kumar Bring Detentions and Police Cases

The campaign centres on the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls. Protesters accuse Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of irregularities in that exercise and want him to resign. Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray raised those demands at a Mumbai protest on October 4, according to NDTV India.

Opposition leaders allege that Kumar manipulated voter rolls to favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party, the BBC reported. That remains an allegation. Separately, the Election Commission said all decisions about the SIR exercise schedule were unanimous, according to Mint. That statement addresses how scheduling decisions were taken, rather than resolving the broader accusations.

On October 4, Delhi police detained 500 people on the third day of protests demanding Kumar's departure. Police stopped demonstrators trying to march towards heavily barricaded Jantar Mantar, The Hindu reported. In Mumbai, the Thackeray cousins led a march, with Raj Thackeray calling for ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines.

On October 5, CJP leader Saurav Das claimed the government planned to arrest him and Abhijeet Dipke before the group's October 10 demonstration at Jantar Mantar, according to India News. CJP nevertheless said the protest would go ahead, The Hindu reported. The supplied coverage does not establish that an arrest plan existed.

On October 6, opposition parties began marching from parliament towards the Election Commission in New Delhi, but heavy police deployments stopped them, according to World News CNA. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were detained outside Akashvani Bhawan, Mint reported.

On October 7, police detained Rahul Gandhi for a second day as lawmakers staged an unannounced protest march, Bloomberg reported. The Hindu reported that he said protests would continue until Kumar resigned, with INDIA bloc leaders indicating further demonstrations on Thursday.

By October 8, at least two fresh FIRs had been filed against Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi over alleged assault on police and police vehicle vandalism. Those followed cases concerning Tuesday's protest, including alleged forcible entry into Akashvani Bhavan, according to The Hindu. The allegations are not findings of guilt.

The confrontation has moved from marches demanding Kumar's resignation to repeated detentions and police cases against prominent opposition figures. Another protest was planned in central Delhi for October 8, according to The Hindu.

CJP's campaign also extended to Bengaluru. Mint reported that Freedom Park would host an October 8 protest against electoral roll revisions, featuring Prakash Raj and Dhruv Rathee, ahead of the planned October 10 demonstration. The Indian Express subsequently reported slogans from the Bengaluru protest.

The next scheduled focal point is CJP's October 10 protest in Delhi. Five Left groups backed the call, according to The Hindu, while CJP has said fear of jail will not stop it from proceeding, The Hindu reported.

A separate legal challenge concerns pleas seeking Kumar's suspension over alleged unilateral decisions. India Today reported on October 4 that the Supreme Court would hear them. The supplied coverage gives no hearing outcome, leaving that challenge and the new police cases unresolved.