NEW DELHI: Protesters opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls held a ‘People’s Parliament’ in central Delhi on Friday after police stopped their march towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters, as demonstrations against the exercise were organised across the country.
The march, organised by the Delhi Coordination Committee of the People Against SIR collective, began near Gol Dak Khana at the intersection of Kalibari Marg and Bhai Vir Singh Marg. Participants carried the national flag and banners, raising slogans demanding the suspension of SIR and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged voter deletions.
Senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat joined the demonstration, along with members of the All India Democratic Women’s Association and the All India Democratic Students’ Organisation. The Krantikari Yuva Sangathan and the Students’ Federation of India also extended support, with activists from Delhi, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh taking part.
“Our struggle will continue until CEC Gyanesh Kumar resigns,” Karat told reporters. She also called on the government to stop what she described as an attack on voting rights and the Constitution.
CPI leader P Sandosh, who participated in the protest, warned that the agitation would intensify. “Nobody can save Gyanesh Kumar,” he said.
Police and Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed in large numbers across central Delhi. When officers halted the march, the protesters sat down and conducted a ‘People’s Parliament’, as announced by the organisers. The organisers said the demonstration would remain peaceful and conclude with the adoption of resolutions and the national anthem.
The People Against SIR collective said protests had been planned in 88 cities across 18 states, with 145 organisations involved. It has listed demonstrations scheduled for Friday and further programmes through November 1, urging farmers, workers, women, young people and other sections of society to participate.
Separately, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) wrote to President Droupadi Murmu ahead of a farmers’ rally in Delhi, demanding the resignation and prosecution of Gyanesh Kumar. The farmers’ coalition alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner had violated his constitutional pledge and called for the SIR exercise to be scrapped.
The memorandum also sought restoration of voting rights for citizens whose names were allegedly deleted from electoral rolls without transparency. It called for changes to the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, including the Chief Justice of India’s inclusion in the selection panel in place of a Cabinet minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
The SKM further demanded comprehensive electoral reforms, including proportional representation, measures to curb the influence of money and muscle power, and legal provisions for state funding of elections. Trade unions and civil society organisations have pledged support to the farmers’ campaign.
Traffic diversions were imposed in parts of central Delhi from 1 pm to 5 pm, with commuters advised to avoid affected stretches around Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, Connaught Place, Parliament Street and Jantar Mantar.
The protests reflect continuing opposition from political groups and civil society organisations to the SIR process and concerns over alleged deletions from electoral rolls.
