The Indian Youth Congress has launched a legal helpline for people who say they faced detention, intimidation or threats during protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Delhi.
The helpline, 9582223884, will receive complaints from protesters and provide legal assistance to those detained during demonstrations, the Congress youth wing said on Saturday. The announcement came after Delhi Police detained at least 500 people who were attempting to reach Jantar Mantar for a proposed protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party, according to sources cited in the report.
The protesters were detained from several locations in New Delhi, including near Regal Cinema, Minto Bridge and Akashwani Bhawan. Police also deployed drones to monitor the movement of people trying to reach the proposed protest site, the sources said. The report did not specify how many people remained in custody or whether formal cases had been registered against those detained.
The IYC also alleged that police had surrounded its headquarters at 5, Raisina Road, since Friday. According to the organisation, barricades restricted people from entering or leaving the premises. Its post on X alleged that young people, journalists, advocates and Congress workers had been detained, while also accusing the authorities of failing to act against people who were allegedly issuing threats.
Delhi Pradesh Youth Congress president Akshay Lakra claimed that he had been placed under house arrest. Several IYC workers also alleged that they were detained amid heightened security arrangements in the national capital. These claims were made by the organisation and its workers; the report did not include a detailed response from Delhi Police to the allegations.
The helpline is intended to provide legal support to people facing action over their participation in the protests, the IYC said. The move places legal assistance at the centre of an ongoing dispute over how demonstrations are managed in central Delhi, where access to designated protest areas and movement through heavily secured administrative zones can directly affect whether participants reach an event site.
The protests were linked to criticism of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision exercise. The demonstrations followed an investigation published by The Indian Express, which reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times over the previous 10 months to decisions and orders related to the revision. The report said the commissioners had described specific changes to voter enrolment forms as “unauthorised” and “illegal”.
The Election Commission has rejected suggestions of a split within its three-member panel and maintained that decisions concerning the Special Intensive Revision were taken unanimously. The IYC has urged people seeking legal assistance in connection with the protests to contact the helpline.
