A protest near Pune Collector’s Office on Saturday evening brought together demonstrators opposing the detention of protesters in New Delhi, restrictions on public demonstrations and alleged irregularities in electoral rolls. The gathering also included calls for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
The ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ protest began at around 5 pm and was held in solidarity with people detained in New Delhi during demonstrations on 10 October. Protesters also expressed support for CJP representatives Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, who were detained at Jantar Mantar on 13 October after allegedly climbing barricades and entering the site while unfurling the Tricolour.
The detentions followed the de-notification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site, according to the report on the Pune demonstration. Participants in Pune raised concerns over what they described as restrictions on the right to protest, including the expectation that citizens should seek permission before expressing disagreement with government actions.
“We’re protesting here today because we disagree with the notion of asking for permission to protest. Protesting and disagreeing with the government and their actions is our fundamental right as citizens,” one protester said.
The gathering also focused on the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls. Protesters alleged that eligible voters had been incorrectly marked as deceased, which they said could affect their right to vote. One participant claimed that the issue involved “hundreds and thousands” of people rather than only isolated cases. The report did not provide an official response from election authorities or independent documentation confirming the scale of the alleged deletions.
Participants displayed posters outlining their demands and raised slogans calling for the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar. Slogans calling for revolution were also heard during the demonstration. The protest drew people from different age groups, communities and professions, according to the report.
The Pune gathering linked two questions of public administration: how authorities manage access to designated protest spaces and how electoral institutions verify changes to voter records. Public demonstrations in cities depend on the availability and regulation of accessible civic spaces, while electoral-roll revisions can directly affect residents’ ability to participate in elections.
The demonstration concluded at around 6:30 pm. Protesters used the closing gathering to reiterate their opposition to the New Delhi detentions and to demand scrutiny of the electoral-roll revision process.
