The Delhi protest returned to Connaught Place on Sunday as young demonstrators demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, a day after metro restrictions, barricading and mass detentions disrupted their planned gathering in Central Delhi.
The protesters carried handmade placards and assembled around Palika Kendra and Connaught Place after restrictions on metro movement were eased. The proposed protest site was Jantar Mantar, but access to the area remained heavily controlled, with large numbers of Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel deployed around the commercial district.
According to the report, 45 metro stations across Delhi had been closed on Saturday. Cab cancellations, barricading around Central Delhi and sharply higher auto-rickshaw fares made it difficult for protesters to reach Jantar Mantar. The restrictions affected not only those travelling into the area but also residents and commuters attempting to move through central parts of the city.
A first-year student of Shri Ram College of Commerce, who had travelled from Rajasthan, said she had been afraid to attend the previous day’s protest because of the police presence. On Sunday, she stood behind a barricade near police personnel with a poster demanding accountability from the government. She said students had the right to ask questions and that she had decided to attend even if she was detained.
Other students described similar difficulties in reaching Connaught Place. Honey, a 21-year-old student of St Stephen’s College preparing for the Union Public Service Commission examinations, said he travelled by metro from Vishwavidyalaya to Central Secretariat after being unable to reach Central Delhi on Saturday. A friend travelled from Gurgaon to join him.
Honey said he avoided getting off at Rajiv Chowk after seeing security personnel questioning students and instead continued to Central Secretariat. He said police officers stopped him repeatedly while he walked towards Connaught Place and asked where he was going. He told them he was visiting the Rashtrapati Bhawan gate for a college assignment because he feared being prevented from proceeding.
His friend Khushi, a recent graduate of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, said she had decided to return despite the mass detentions reported on Saturday because she wanted to ask for accountability. Two 18-year-old first-time protesters also reached the area after initially being afraid to attend. One of them said they wanted answers concerning their right to vote and would continue returning despite the possibility of being beaten or detained.
The events have placed Delhi’s transport network and central-city security arrangements at the centre of the protest. Saturday’s closure of 45 metro stations, combined with road barricading and the concentration of security personnel around Connaught Place, directly shaped who could reach the protest site and how residents moved through the area. Metro restrictions were relaxed on Sunday, but Central Delhi continued to remain fortified.
The protesters’ stated demand remained the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The report did not indicate any announcement from the Election Commission or the Delhi Police on the demand, the previous day’s detentions or the restrictions that affected access to Central Delhi.
