The Connaught Place protest over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls entered its seventh consecutive day on October 16, as students, activists and citizens carrying national flags converged near Central Park despite heavy security deployment and restrictions around the area.
The march, called “Lehra Do Tiranga” by the Cockroach Janta Party and Left student organisations, began drawing people to Connaught Place from around 3 p.m. The crowd grew through the evening as groups including the All India Students’ Federation, Students’ Federation of India, Democratic Youth Federation of India, All India Youth Federation and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan marched through the city centre.
A Delhi Police official told The Hindu that around 10,000 personnel from the Delhi Police, Central Reserve Police Force and Rapid Action Force were deployed in Connaught Place. Central Park remained inaccessible after the premises were blocked, while roads leading to the area saw a large security presence. Police began detaining protesters after 7.30 p.m., according to the report.
Several groups gathered near the Palika Bazar gates and recited the national anthem. John Brittas and A.A. Rahim led a march from the SFI community centre on Firoz Shah Road towards Central Park. More than 100 protesters joined the procession, raising slogans against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Mr. Brittas said closing parks and the Jantar Mantar protest site could not suppress demonstrations. “Jantar Mantar is everywhere,” he told The Hindu. The statement came as authorities restricted access to one of Delhi’s most prominent public gathering spaces and deployed security forces across the surrounding commercial district.
The All India Students’ Association organised another march from Mandi House circle. Its president, Neha Bora, was detained shortly after, while more than a dozen AISA protesters continued towards Connaught Place with national flags. The report did not provide a total number of people detained during the evening’s demonstrations.
Citizens also travelled from outside Delhi to participate. Kajal and Naina, both in their 20s, came from Kanpur. A software engineer from Ghaziabad identified as Udit said he had joined to protest what he described as government suppression. R.K. Sharma, 59, said public confidence required an impartial Chief Election Commissioner and referred to former CEC T.N. Seshan.
The protests also affected political activity in central Delhi. The Aam Aadmi Party held a march with what it described as a 270-foot-long Tricolour from North Avenue towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan. A second march from the party headquarters was stopped around 500 metres from Connaught Place. None of the main leaders in the two AAP marches was detained, according to the report.
Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra praised the police response and accused the Cockroach Janta Party, its alleged foreign sponsors and Opposition parties of attempting to create disorder. The BJP said only a negligible number of youths reached Connaught Place. The protests and detentions followed seven consecutive days of demonstrations seeking the Chief Election Commissioner’s resignation. The report did not mention any change in the security restrictions or the next legal or administrative step by the authorities.
