Delhi residents and organisations are divided over whether to join an October 10 protest demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and suspension of the special intensive revision (SIR) drive, as police enforce prohibitory orders and warn citizens against gathering near Jantar Mantar and the New Delhi area.
Police have invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, around Jantar Mantar Road. The provision allows an Executive Magistrate, including a District Magistrate or Commissioner of Police, to issue urgent temporary orders to maintain public order, prevent danger or stop unlawful assemblies.
Officials have held meetings in colleges, universities and paying guest accommodations, called volunteers and addressed residents through loudspeakers. Police teams also visited mosques and markets in Old Delhi, including Baghwali Masjid in Chandni Chowk, where an official appealed to citizens on October 8 not to respond to provocative messages or participate in the protest.
The police have described the gathering as unsanctioned and said participation could disrupt law and order in the New Delhi area. Local traders said the warnings had created anxiety among shopkeepers and young people. Salauddeen, president of the Matia Mahal Traders’ Organisation, said traders had been told not to provide food or accept bulk orders expected to be placed for protesters, while some residents feared detention.
The police warnings have not stopped all mobilisation. Ashok Bhasin, president of the North Delhi Residents’ Welfare Federation, said local associations intended to participate despite calls from police to stay away. He described SIR as a genuine issue and said people who were not usually politically active had committed to attending the October 10 gathering.
Youth and civil society organisations have been conducting door-to-door campaigns in slum areas and other parts of Delhi to reach domestic workers, daily-wage earners and factory workers. At least seven organisations, including anganwadi and women’s groups, are involved in the mobilisation, according to the report. Their stated concern is that marginalised residents may not know how the SIR process could affect their names on electoral rolls or what documents may be required if names have been deleted.
Naureen, a member of the Disha Students’ Organisation, said some affected residents had not been approached by Booth Level Officers or Election Commission officials about deletions or documentation. She said organisers were urging them to attend the protest because working-class communities were among those most affected. At the same time, she acknowledged that bringing people from distant parts of the city would be difficult if transport and communication services were restricted on Saturday.
Vishal of the Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India said organisers were demanding both Mr Kumar’s resignation and the scrapping of SIR. He said the party was conducting a Bhagat Singh Jan Adhikar Yatra across 13 States to mobilise working people and demand re-election in States affected by SIR.
The immediate situation in central Delhi will depend on the enforcement of the Section 163 orders, police deployment and the ability of organisers and residents to reach the proposed protest site on October 10. Police have asked citizens to avoid the gathering and cooperate with the administration.
