New Delhi: Several protesters, including CPI(M) John Brittas, were detained by security personnel while marching towards Jantar Mantar from Connaught Place’s Inner Circle and Rajiv Chowk here, as the protest called by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) entered its second day on Sunday.
Visuals showed protesters marching towards Jantar Mantar and raising slogans of “Gyanesh Kumar isteefa do (resign Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar)”.
Security personnel moved in to detain them, and several protesters, despite offering resistance, were seen being dragged and pulled towards police buses.
The area remained under an intense security arrangements to stop the protesters from going towards Jantar Mantar. The CJP had vowed to continue protests, announcing another demonstration at the protest site at 10 am on Sunday after the government thwarted their efforts on Saturday.
CPI(M) MP Brittas was among those detained, police sources said. He was detained during protest on Saturday also.
Several protesters who were detained on Sunday alleged that they were manhandled during the detentions.
Members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and other student organisations were also detained while marching towards Jantar Mantar from Rajiv Chowk.
In a statement, the SFI said its All India President Adarsh M Saji, Delhi State Secretary Sooraj Elamon, Central Executive Committee member Abhijith Manilal and hundreds of its members were attacked and detained at Rajiv Chowk.
“In the video, you can see blood coming out of Adarsh’s forehead. These will not be forgotten. We will keep coming out on the streets. The protests will be multiplied in all corners of the country!” he said.
In a video, Saji was seen questioning the police action, saying the protesters did not understand their crime as they were protesting peacefully.
Claiming that several people had been injured due to the police’s “manhandling”, another protester said they would now “turn the entire national capital into Jantar Mantar”.
The detentions came after the CJP renewed its call for a protest at Jantar Mantar on Sunday, even as police continued with extensive security arrangements. More than 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across the city.
On Saturday, CJP leaders, including Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained amid an unprecedented security clampdown in Delhi, with more than 7,000 protesters detained at multiple locations as police prevented them from reaching Jantar Mantar.
Several opposition leaders, including former chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar, were also detained while attempting to join the protest.
The CJP and opposition parties have been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
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