Delhi Police has registered multiple FIRs over alleged violations of prohibitory orders in Connaught Place and other parts of New Delhi, after crowds gathered during protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Police said the gatherings continued despite repeated announcements asking people to disperse. The action was taken under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, or BNSS, which allows magistrates to issue orders aimed at preventing potential disturbances to public order.
Officials warned that repeat offenders would face further action. Security personnel remained deployed in Connaught Place and other parts of New Delhi to prevent unauthorised gatherings and maintain law and order, according to Delhi Police.
The police action came amid heightened security in the capital as protesters continued to demand accountability from the Election Commission over the SIR exercise. The report did not specify the number of FIRs registered or the number of people named in the cases.
AISA president Neha Bora, who was detained on Friday evening during the anti-SIR protests, was released early Saturday after formal procedures under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act, Delhi Police said. Her detention formed part of the wider security response in central Delhi.
After her release, Bora questioned the overnight custody of protesters and alleged that police had delayed her access to a lawyer. She also questioned the legal basis for keeping detainees in custody overnight and said that women should be released after sunset, while alleging that this had not happened.
Bora further criticised the roadblocks and restrictions imposed in central Delhi. She demanded the impeachment of Gyanesh Kumar and called for the SIR exercise to be halted.
The competing claims reflect the immediate administrative tension created when restrictions on public assembly are imposed in a high-footfall commercial and public district such as Connaught Place. While police have cited the need to prevent disturbances and unauthorised gatherings, protesters have challenged the detention process and the restrictions on movement.
Delhi Police has not indicated in the supplied report when the prohibitory orders will be withdrawn. Security deployment and action against alleged violations are expected to continue while the restrictions remain in force.
