Bengaluru: “Asking questions isn’t anarchy. Abusing power is.” These were the words on a placard held aloft at Freedom Park Sunday, as hundreds of citizens and students gathered to oppose the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, demand chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and condemn the detention of protesters a day earlier.The demonstration, organised by the Karnataka state committee of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), saw at least 300 participants holding banners criticising the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Centre. Others carried placards with messages such as “Say no to SIR! Gyanesh Kumar must go!” and “When? Where? Accountability where?”Protesters also shared personal experiences of SIR, arguing that concerns over electoral rolls and accountability could not be silenced through detentions. Another placard read, “Error 404: Voter name not found!”, reflecting concerns over discrepancies in voter lists. While anti-SIR protests have largely centred on the National Capital Region, organisers said citizens should be able to participate from wherever they live, without having to travel to Delhi.“Wherever we stay, we should make our voice heard. The idea is simple. I wanted to be at Jantar Mantar but couldn’t. Hence, we demand accountability from Bengaluru,” said Mohammad Affan, a CJP member.For some protesters, the demands extended beyond the CEC’s resignation. Bhavana, CJP’s south zone coordinator, said changes to the selection process for election commissioners and the conduct of SIR were central concerns. “People are frustrated. I wasn’t personally affected by SIR, but my mother was because her surname changed after marriage. We aren’t just asking for Gyanesh’s resignation. It is mostly about the law which was passed, removing the Chief Justice of India from the selection panel of ECI. We want SIR to be revoked, and we don’t want these types of systemic failures anymore,” she said.The gathering also saw members of student organisations, including the All India Students’ Association (AISA). Its members had attempted to march from Freedom Park towards the ECI office on Saturday but were detained by police.Aditi S, one of those detained and later released, said she was injured during the incident. She also questioned the Congress-led Karnataka govt’s position on the right to protest. “We started the march from Freedom Park and were all detained… Police were brutally pulling our legs. I did get injured in the process. There were people even in civil clothing handling the protesters,” she said.Drawing a comparison with protests in Delhi, she added: “In Delhi, we see Rahul Gandhi himself breaking the barricades, but when it happens in states ruled by them (Congress), we get detained.”Police said on Saturday that AISA members were detained for allegedly breaching the designated protest site when they tried to march from Freedom Park towards the ECI office.Pratik Khedkar, another protester, said the demand for CEC’s resignation was straightforward. “People aren’t happy with a govt official; they just want him to resign. There’s nothing too big here. This govt especially fears any form of protest,” he said.K’taka citizens on way to Delhi held, freedThe day’s gathering was partly prompted by the detention of members travelling from Karnataka to Delhi, said Rahul Philip, CJP’s south zone coordinator. “As per the verified information we got, at least two CJP members from Karnataka were detained midway to Delhi. Some were stopped when they reached Delhi and were taken to undisclosed locations. They got released today, but in an entirely different, unknown location,” he said.The organisers concluded the Freedom Park demonstration by singing the national anthem and said protests would continue until their demands were met. No detentions were reported on Sunday.
