NEW DELHI: Hundreds of protesters were detained in and around Jantar Mantar on Friday as they gathered for a protest against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged irregularities in special intensive revision of electoral rolls.Even as protesters were pulled and dragged into buses, Delhi police said they did not manhandle anyone and cited the lack of permission for protests at the site and prohibitory orders for the detentions.All those detained were released later in the day. Mobile internet in the area was snapped and entry and exit at 12 metro stations in central Delhi suspended to stop protesters from gathering.A senior police officer said around 550 people were detained. Police said FIRs were being registered for alleged violation of prohibitory orders.Police crammed protesters into buses which entered the area at regular intervals from barricaded points at Tolstoy Marg and Janpath.A protester sitting near Jantar Mantar was asked to “either go sit at home or sit inside a police van”.The protest had been announced by opposition parties and student groups on Gandhi Jayanti over the Election Commission’s handling of SIR of electoral rolls.Protesters demanded the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar amid reports of internal differences within the poll panel on key decisions which EC has denied. In Delhi, the names of more than 47 lakh people were deleted during SIR and an additional 33 lakh received notices to explain ‘logical discrepancies’ in records.EC has said that those who have found their names missing from the draft rolls can register as new voters after providing relevant documents.Senior functionaries of opposition parties, including CPM’s Brinda Karat and MA Baby, AAP’s Atishi and JDU’s Manoj Jha, were detained by police.Measures to stop protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar were in place much before they began to gather. Police set up barricades and patrolled footpaths leading towards the site.Posters were put up by authorities, stating, “Section 163 of the BNSS has been enforced in this area. Any form of illegal gathering is strictly prohibited”.Internet jammers were set up and metro services at 12 central Delhi stations suspended. Students, however, walked several kilometres from faraway metro stations and mobilised near the protest site.At noon, national president of All India Students’ Association (AISA) Neha Bora arrived at Jantar Mantar and a game of cat-and-mouse ensued between police and protesters.“Our friends were waiting a few hundred metres from the protest site. When police detained Neha and tried to take her away in a bus, they blocked its way and forced them to release her. This happened twice,” said Deepanita, a PhD student who was detained along with Neha the first time.By 4pm, a small bunch of students flocked to Tolstoy Marg despite most of their friends being detained.“The govt is trying to nip the problem in the bud by shutting the protest site, because after the Cockroach Janta Party protest, they know what it can lead to,” said Priyanshi, an AISA member.She was referring to a month-long agitation led by Abhijeet Dipke and Sonam Wangchuck in July, which ended with the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. “The biggest weapon that they have is fear.We were not deterred by detentions today; what else can they scare us with?” she said.In a video message later in the evening, Bora said the protest would continue and asked people to gather at Jantar Mantar at 1pm Saturday.
