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.
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Read The Federal's stories on the EC row
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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 12:25 PM IST
NSUI workers stopped on way to Jantar Mantar protest
NSUI workers led by national president Vinod Jhakhar marched towards the Jantar Mantar protest site but were stopped by police amid heavy security and multiple layers of barricading.
Around 200 workers raised slogans of “Gyanesh Kumar Go Back”. No detentions have been reported so far.
- 2 Oct 2026 12:23 PM IST
Jantar Mantar protest: Internet services to be suspended 9 am-9 pm
Telecom companies have been directed to suspend internet services from 9 am to 9 pm in the Jantar Mantar area, covering a 1.5-km radius around the protest site, reported the Hindustan Times.
- 2 Oct 2026 11:44 AM IST
Congress accuses EC of violating law over ECINet portal
The Congress has accused the Election Commission of violating electoral laws through its ECINet portal, with party general secretary in-charge Jairam Ramesh demanding accountability.
Ramesh said the EC's September 26 press note announced a committee to certify whether ECINet complied with existing laws and rules. He questioned why this was needed after the portal was launched in January with assurances that it complied with the Constitution, the Representation of the People Acts and the Registration of Electors Rules.
“All of this was a lie,” Ramesh alleged.
He accused the ECI of restricting Electoral Registration Officers' access to the voter-roll system and overriding their authority in Goa and West Bengal.
Ramesh also cited a September 24 letter from the Maharashtra chief electoral officer seeking changes.
The Congress has backed INDIA bloc protests, including a planned march to the Election Commission on October 6.
The EC has said differing views among commissioners are part of institutional deliberations and that its orders have legal backing.
- 2 Oct 2026 11:40 AM IST
SFI, DYFI, AAP protest against EC, SIR in Delhi
Members of SFI and DYFI held a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi against the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
AAP leaders also staged a protest in Central Delhi, with the SIR process at the centre of their demonstration.
- 2 Oct 2026 11:38 AM IST
RJD's Manoj Jha to joins Jantar Mantar protest, targets govt over SIR
At Jantar Mantar, RJD MP Manoj Jha questioned why protesters need official permission to hold demonstrations, saying, “They should be ashamed... Do protests require permission?”
Referring to Gandhi Jayanti, Jha said, “After all, this is Gandhi's country. Today is Gandhi Jayanti.”
Asked whether he would join the protest, Jha replied, “Absolutely!” He then accused the government of turning the country into a police state and said Gyanesh Kumar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah would not be able to conceal what he described as their wrongdoing.
- 2 Oct 2026 11:32 AM IST
Chidambaram questions Gyanesh Kumar over SIR roll revision
Congress leader P Chidambaram has questioned Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, accusing him of trying to reverse decisions taken by the Election Commission.
“CEC, Mr Gyanesh Kumar, is desperately trying to cover his tracks,” Chidambaram said in a post on X, while questioning the removal of voters from electoral rolls under the SIR exercise.
He asked, “What about the 13,30,00,000 voters who were removed from the electoral rolls under S.I.R. without due process?”
Chidambaram also cited developments in several states, including objections raised by the Maharashtra CEO and an inquiry ordered in Karnataka into bulk Form 7 applications.
“The entire illegal S.I.R. is unravelling,” he said, questioning where the original file authorising the exercise was kept.
He also called on the other two Election Commissioners to release their objections and letters, and demanded that ECI minutes be made public.
“The DEMAND for his resignation will grow louder every day,” Chidambaram said.
- 2 Oct 2026 11:21 AM IST
AAP protest at Jantar Mantar as police deploy drones for security
Police deployed drones over the Jantar Mantar area as security was stepped up during an AAP protest against the Election Commission.
The protest call was backed by activists, political leaders and civil society representatives, who gathered to voice their opposition to the EC.
- 2 Oct 2026 11:16 AM IST
Kejriwal will try to reach protest site despite police presence: Saurabh Bharadwaj
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj urged protesters not to be intimidated by the police, saying they should remain unafraid even if lathis were used against them. He said Arvind Kejriwal would attempt to reach the protest site despite a police presence outside his residence.
Bharadwaj was later removed from Jantar Mantar by police along with other AAP leaders and protesters.
- 2 Oct 2026 11:12 AM IST
AAP leaders Saurabh Bhardwaj, Sanjeev Jha detained amid protest
AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj posted a video recorded inside a bus, where a number of protesters can be seen sitting. Police personnel are also visible in the footage.
Another AAP leader, Sanjeev Jha, was taken into police custody, according to the party.
