Thousands march against SIR, demand CEC's resignation; over 100 detained

New Delhi, Thousands of people, including representatives of farmers' organisations, trade unions, student bodies and Left parties, marched towards the Election Commission of India headquarters on Friday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and withdrawal of the ongoing SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of electoral rolls.

Delhi Police detained over 100 protesters after they tried to breach multi-layered barricades near Bangla Sahib Gurdwara, a few hundred metres from the ECI headquarters on Ashoka Road. Carrying the Tricolour and banners reading "Scrap SIR", "Vote Chori" and "No elections with SIR", the demonstrators shouted slogans against the poll panel chief.

Some protesters climbed a tree and attempted to wave the national flag, while activists of the All India Students' Association (AISA) held satirical placards targeting Kumar. The march, called by the Delhi Coordination Committee of People Against SIR, a people's collective, began near Gole Dak Khana at the intersection of Kalibari Marg and Bhai Vir Singh Marg.


It brought together representatives of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), trade unions, student organisations and Left parties, with participants from Delhi, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. The protesters sat down and held a 'People's Parliament' after police stopped them from proceeding towards the ECI headquarters.

Visuals of students being bundled into buses, even as they waved the Indian flag, took over social media on Friday evening.

The protest took place amid restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), with Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force personnel deployed in large numbers across central Delhi.

Senior CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, members of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) and the All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO), and activists from the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) and the Students' Federation of India (SFI) participated in the march.

"They have deleted millions of votes through SIR. They are denouncing the citizenship of millions who have lived in India for generations, especially minorities like Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis," said Disha, a member of the Progressive Democratic Students Union (PDSU).

"Their identity and autonomy are being taken away through SIR. I don't get the whole illegal immigrant thing," she said.

Shreya, another protester, said the agitation against the SIR would grow and continue, adding that the crowd would not have gathered if the march could be stopped by simply denotifying Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site.

"We demand that SIR should be rolled back, Gyanesh Kumar should resign, the voter list should be rectified, and the government should apologise," said Yudhvir Singh, national general secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union.

CPI Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar said the movement would be intensified in the coming days and reiterated the demand for the chief election commissioner's resignation.

"The agitation will continue. Gyanesh Kumar must resign; no one can save him. We will intensify our movement in the coming days," he said.

Protesters said their participation was driven by concerns over the possible exclusion of eligible citizens from the electoral process.

A Delhi University student said electoral rights were fundamental to democracy and called for transparency in the revision process and accountability for wrongful deletion of names.

"Police barricades will not deter our movement. Citizens have the right to question institutions and demand answers when their voting rights are at stake, and we will not stop till we have answers," the student added.

According to the People Against SIR forum, demonstrations have been planned in 88 cities across 18 states, involving 145 organisations, with programmes scheduled from Friday until November 1.

The organisers said more than 300 organisations had joined the wider campaign, which seeks scrapping of the SIR, restoration of voting rights to eligible citizens whose names have been deleted, and the removal and prosecution of Kumar.

The demonstration is part of a broader mobilisation by opposition parties, student groups, farmers' organisations and civil society groups against the electoral roll revision exercise.