Central Delhi saw scattered protests and detentions on Friday as student organisations, civil society groups and other demonstrators gathered at Connaught Place, Janpath and Mandi House over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, despite heavy police deployment and restrictions on public gatherings.
Small groups carrying the Tricolour assembled at Connaught Place in response to the Citizens’ Justice Party’s “Lehra Do Tiranga” call after CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke was detained. Protesters moved into parts of the Inner Circle, while Central Park remained out of bounds. Police initially allowed some groups to gather but began asking people to leave around 6.30pm, with detentions reported later in the evening.
At Mandi House, AISA president Neha Bora and other representatives of Left-affiliated organisations began a march at 5pm. Police intercepted the march and detained Bora after a confrontation involving women constables, according to the report. She was taken to a Southwest Delhi police station. Later, a delegation of lawyers and civil society members seeking her release reached Parliament Street police station and alleged that police officials refused to meet them. Police did not respond to that allegation, the report said.
Student and youth organisations, including SFI, DYFI, AISF and AIYF, had announced plans to join the Tricolour gathering at Connaught Place. AAP also held a Tricolour march near Rashtrapati Bhavan. By 6.30pm, protest activity had shifted towards Janpath, where AISA members and other Left-leaning student groups gathered with placards and raised slogans.
At Palika Bazaar, people carrying the national flag assembled near the Inner Circle. Members of the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan marched through the area, while others posed for photographs. Twelve activists, including six women from the organisation, were reportedly detained from Gandhi Smarak and Central Park. Among those present was Ishan, a Hindu College student, who said students were attending the protest and questioned restrictions on the right to demonstrate.
The gatherings included both opponents and supporters of SIR and the governing party. A group that said it was present to protect law and order confronted some protesters. Alok Tiwari, a 27-year-old from Noida who identified himself as part of the group, said he wanted to prevent disruption to public movement during the festive season.
The electoral-roll exercise also drew participation from residents who said they had experienced problems with voter records. Jharia, a 59-year-old Palika Bazaar trader, said his son’s and daughter’s names had been deleted from the rolls. He carried a banner opposing the Chief Election Commissioner and said the protest was directed at the Election Commission rather than a political party.
Other protesters described previous encounters with police. Mumaina, a 73-year-old activist with the All India Democratic Women’s Association, said she had been detained on October 10 and alleged that she was handled differently from earlier protests. Sana, a 32-year-old model, alleged that police had beaten her during demonstrations on July 20 and October 10 and said protesters had moved into central Delhi streets after being pushed out of Jantar Mantar.
The protests left central Delhi managing competing demands over public movement, crowd control and the right to assemble. Further detentions and police action were reported as groups continued gathering in the Connaught Place area after nightfall.
