Gandhi Jayanti Protests Force Closure of 11 Delhi Metro Stations Amid Gyanesh Kumar Row
Gandhi Jayanti became a major political flashpoint on Friday as multiple protest calls targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar rolled out across Delhi, Mumbai, and several other states. The demonstrations, which lacked a single central organization, arrived in the wake of escalating friction surrounding the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and internal objections raised by fellow election commissioners.
In the national capital, security forces locked down central Delhi after the Delhi Police denied permission for a planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar. The protest had been organized by the All India Students’ Association, Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha, and advocate Prashant Bhushan, who sought the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner over alleged electoral roll irregularities. Authorities deployed heavy contingents of police, Rapid Action Force personnel, and riot control vehicles around the demonstration site.
Police sources estimated a turnout of 3,000 to 4,000 demonstrators, prompting officials to seek additional security reinforcements from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
Prohibitory Orders and Legal Pushback Shape Demonstrations
Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita remained strictly enforced across the New Delhi district, banning public meetings of five or more people, processions, picketing, and the carrying of placards or firearms. DCP New Delhi Sachin Sharma urged the public to respect the legal restrictions, stating that preventive arrangements were fully operational.
Banerjee challenged election authorities to release comprehensive CCTV footage from counting centers across multiple constituencies to ensure transparency.
National Agitations Expand Beyond Delhi to Mumbai and State Capitals
Beyond the capital, the political fallout spread. In Mumbai, the Cockroach Janta Party announced a “Jail Bharo Andolan” on Gandhi Jayanti after local police denied permission for a gathering at Shivaji Park. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke demanded the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar alongside the registration of a criminal case, vowing that the agitational push would extend to Goa, Karnataka, Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand.
