New Delhi, Oct 14 Hundreds of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers on Wednesday marched towards Jantar Mantar against the removal of the site from the list of designated protest venues and demanded Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged electoral roll discrepancies.
Led by IYC national president Uday Bhanu Chib, the protesters began their march from Patel Chowk metro station, waving Congress flags and raising slogans to “save democracy”.
Some workers climbed atop detention buses parked along the road as police stopped the march — held under the party’s ‘Reclaim Jantar Mantar’ campaign — near Parliament Street police station and detained several protesters.
Chib’s shirt was torn during his detention, the IYC said.
National office-bearers, state presidents and other workers joined the demonstration, asserting their right to protest peacefully and opposing the removal of Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest venues.
The protest came two days after the Delhi Police removed Jantar Mantar from the list on October 12, citing a Supreme Court directive on identifying alternative venues for demonstrations.
The decision drew criticism from opposition leaders, INDIA bloc parties and student-and youth-led organisations, which called for the restoration of the site as a space for public dissent.
“Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of this country. It is a symbol of our democratic rights, our constitutional freedoms and our collective voice against injustice,” Chib said in a statement.
The IYC also condemned the alleged police action against Congress workers and other citizens during recent protests, demanding an independent inquiry into the incidents and action against personnel found guilty of unlawful detention.
“The use of excessive force against people exercising their democratic rights is unacceptable. We demand a fair, independent and impartial inquiry into every incident of alleged police violence, identification of those responsible and strict action against all personnel found guilty,” Chib said.
The organisation’s demand for Kumar’s resignation comes amid opposition protests over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The IYC has questioned the Election Commission’s handling of the exercise, alleging that it threatens the integrity of electoral rolls.
“We demand the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar because serious questions have been raised about the credibility, transparency and impartiality of our electoral institutions,” Chib said.
The IYC said it would continue the campaign through democratic and constitutional means, demanding the restoration of Jantar Mantar as a protest venue, accountability for alleged police excesses and Kumar’s resignation.
(PTI News)
