Protesters in Patna and Delhi Demand Gyanesh Kumar's Resignation
Student and political activists in Patna and New Delhi staged protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, leading to mass police detentions.
Activists and student organizations across India staged coordinated protests on October 13 demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. In Patna, members of the All India Students’ Association and the Revolutionary Youth Association, wings of the CPI(ML) Liberation, marched from Gandhi Maidan toward Lok Bhavan. Police halted the procession at J P Golambar, detaining several agitators after some broke through barricades. Following the unrest, the Patna district administration mandated that all future demonstrations be held at the Gardanibagh site to avoid public disruption.
Simultaneously in New Delhi, the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) held a flash protest at the Rajiv Chowk metro station to denounce alleged electoral irregularities, which they termed "vote chori." Delhi Police detained NSUI national president Vinod Jakhar and hundreds of other activists near Gate 7. In a separate action at Jantar Mantar, police took Cockroach Janta Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka into custody. These arrests followed a recent decision by the Delhi Police to revoke Jantar Mantar's status as an authorized protest venue.
