LIVE | ‘Gyanesh must go’: Dipke leads CJP protest at Mumbai's Shivaji Park
CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke targeted the Centre and challenged Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis to send protesters to jail as thousands gathered at Shivaji Park
The Delhi Police detained more than 500 protesters, including AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj, Sanjeev Jha, Atishi and Sanjay Singh, as well as activists of some student outfits, during a protest against the CEC at Jantar Mantar on Friday (September 2).
Political parties and members of AISA, SFI, NSUI and other student bodies are protesting to demand Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over the alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and mass deletion of voters.
AAP leaders detained
Police said they stopped AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh at North Avenue, preventing them from proceeding to the protest site.
Bharadwaj, in a post on X, said he and Jha were detained despite the peaceful protest. He urged party workers and supporters to continue the agitation and reach Jantar Mantar.
Protesters stopped en route, internet suspended
A source in the police said around 700 people from SFI tried to reach Jantar Mantar and were stopped at the Ashoka Road roundabout, with many of them detained.
Another police official said around 500 protesters, including AAP leaders, AISA, SFI and other student organisations, were detained from and near Jantar Mantar. Earlier, an official had said the number of detainees was about 150.
Internet services have also been suspended at the protest site and in surrounding areas.
SFI general secretary Aishe Ghosh said several DYFI and SFI activists have been detained.
"Delhi Police is not being able to stop crimes in the capital, but when it comes to protection of someone like Gyanesh Kumar, they get down on the streets," Ghosh said.
She added, "This is not democracy. If police think they can stop the movement by detaining us, we want to tell them that this is just the start."
Several NSUI activists were also detained from the site.
Protesters were also seen crossing barricades at Firoz Shah Road.
The organisers are demanding Kumar’s resignation or impeachment, alleging irregularities in electoral rolls and the conduct of elections. They have also questioned the Election Commission’s handling of the SIR exercise and raised concerns over voting rights.
Prohibitory orders in place
Delhi Police said it had denied permission for the protest at Jantar Mantar. Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita has been imposed, restricting public gatherings, processions, demonstrations and dharnas without prior written permission.
Delhi Traffic Police has advised commuters to avoid Jantar Mantar, Parliament Street, Ashoka Road and nearby stretches. Traffic movement around Connaught Place, Patel Chowk, GPO and Tolstoy Marg is being regulated or diverted.
“Barricading and traffic diversions may be put in place. Commuters should expect increased travel time on adjoining roads,” the traffic advisory said.
Follow this space for more live updates
Read The Federal's stories on the EC row
How 'combative' INDIA Bloc plans to turn EC row into a mass movement
ECI’s internal dissent: What does the law say, and what happens next? | Capital Beat
EC SIR row: INDIA bloc gets ammunition, but Modi govt may brazen it out
From CEC Gyanesh Kumar to Modi, Shah, Congress set to escalate its SIR battle
Live Updates
- 2 Oct 2026 2:52 PM IST
CJP, civil society groups protest EC, SIR at Mumbai's Shivaji Park
Activists from the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and other civil society groups held a protest at Mumbai's Shivaji Park on Friday against the Election Commission and alleged irregularities in the SIR process.
Police were deployed in large numbers at the venue ahead of the protest.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das alleged that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was a “traitor” and claimed there would be widespread support for demands seeking his removal.
“As you can see, we are starting from Mumbai today. This is going to be a very big protest,” Das said as quoted ANI.
He referred to an earlier protest involving young people and said a similar mobilisation was expected this time.
“The youth of Mumbai are hitting the streets again. Today, a massive protest is going to happen at Shivaji Park,” he said, urging Mumbaikars and others to join the demonstration.
- 2 Oct 2026 2:27 PM IST
Sanjay Singh blocked from Parliament amid 'vote theft' protest
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh staged a sit-in on the road after police stopped him from heading to Parliament amid the ongoing protest over Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Speaking to ANI, Singh said he wanted to raise the issue of alleged “vote theft” in Parliament but was prevented from proceeding despite being an MP.
“I am a Member of Parliament. As a member, I had to raise the issue of 'vote theft', but I am not being allowed to go there,” Singh said.
“How can you stop me from going to Parliament? You can see the dictatorship of the police,” he added.
Singh said he was only trying to reach Parliament to carry out his duties as a parliamentarian. AAP leaders at the spot also raised slogans, including, “Dictatorship will not be tolerated in a democracy.”
- 2 Oct 2026 2:20 PM IST
Congress demands Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, arrest after protest
Congress alleged that NSUI workers, led by national president Vinod Jakhar, were detained by police during a foot march demanding the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
In a post on X, the party said, “Gyanesh Kumar is a traitor—his resignation and arrest must happen.”
Congress said Jakhar and several NSUI workers were taken into custody after police intervened during the march.
The party also criticised the BJP over the police action, saying, “BJP, which fears and panics at the truth, should remember—we are followers of Gandhi. No matter how hard you try... you won't be able to silence our voice. We will fight against injustice with full strength,” Congress said.
- 2 Oct 2026 2:17 PM IST
CPI(M)'s MA Baby detained, calls Gyanesh Kumar 'Butcher Of Democracy'
CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby spoke from a police van after being detained by Delhi Police while marching towards Jantar Mantar. Senior party leader Brinda Karat and activists from SFI and DYFI were also detained.
“Gyanesh Kumar is a butcher of democracy; instead of arresting people who are doing illegal things, they are arresting us,” Baby said.
The protesters were seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. They also demanded that voting rights be restored to people they claimed had been wrongly left out of the electoral rolls.
- 2 Oct 2026 2:15 PM IST
AISA's Neha Bora targets Centre over Jantar Mantar protest response
AISA leader Neha Bora criticised the government's response to the protest in a post on X, accusing the Centre of restricting demonstrations and threatening protesters with detention.
“Modi-Shah’s government has brought back the familiar tools of the Raj: prohibit gatherings, shut the routes, threaten detention. All to silence Indian citizens demanding their right to vote.
“Perhaps they forgot what Gandhi called this: Non-Cooperation," she added.
- 2 Oct 2026 1:11 PM IST
Watch | October 2 protest: Will Gyanesh Kumar face pressure over SIR?
In the latest episode of AI with Sanket, The Federal's daily news show on YouTube, Sanket Upadhyay is joined by political analysts and advocates Raghav Awasthi and Nikhil Jain, and senior journalist Smita Gupta, to discuss whether today's nationwide Save Democracy protests—backed by student groups, the Cockroach Janata Party and the INDIA bloc—will pressure the government the way the July 20 agitation did.
The panel debates the key differences this time around: denied permission for gatherings, a planned "jail bharo" agitation, and a demand centred on CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation rather than a political minister's. They discuss the Indian Express exposé on SIR deletions, whether BJP's continued electoral wins undercut "vote chori" allegations, and whether genuine administrative failure rather than political bias lies at the heart of the controversy.
- 2 Oct 2026 12:51 PM IST
Police detain over 100 protesters as demonstration continues
Police have not yet released a confirmed figure for the total number of people detained during the protest. Officials said more than 100 protesters had been taken into custody so far, with the number likely to rise as the demonstration continues, the Hindustan Times reported.
- 2 Oct 2026 12:49 PM IST
CJP slams Delhi protest security, raises women's safety issue
Reacting to the protest in Delhi, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) criticised the security arrangements in a post on X, accusing the authorities of relying on the same measures during demonstrations.
“Same old tactics, same old playbook. Roads blocked. Barricades installed. Metro stations shut. Thousands of police personnel deployed.
“All of this while, in the National Capital, women still don’t feel safe stepping out after sunset.”
- 2 Oct 2026 12:46 PM IST
EC orders special drive to enrol voters left out after SIR
The Election Commission has directed all states and Union Territories to undertake a special drive to enrol voters who were left out of the electoral rolls following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
In a letter dated October 1, 2026, addressed to all Chief Electoral Officers, the commission said it had instructed officials to conduct a “special drive for enrolment of left-out and first time/young electors”.
The EC said lists of Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD) voters had been prepared during the enumeration phase of the SIR, along with probable reasons for their non-inclusion. The lists were displayed, shared with political parties and uploaded on CEO websites.
The commission said voter enrolment remains a continuous process and that anyone not enrolled, or whose name has been deleted, can apply for enrolment.
The drive will require Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to compare the current electoral roll with the pre-SIR roll and identify voters whose names were previously included but are missing from the current list.
BLOs will conduct house-to-house visits and facilitate enrolment through Form 6. They will also share the lists with representatives of recognised political parties.
The EC said Electoral Registration Officers will take action on the cases under the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
- 2 Oct 2026 12:35 PM IST
Former Delhi CM Atishi detained by police
Former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi shared a video on X showing police taking her and other protesters away from the protest site.
In her post, Atishi said, “Modi Ji: We haven't come here to fear your police.”
She added, “To save the right to vote, we will keep fighting. Inquilab Zindabad.”
