Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, student leaders Neha Bora and Aishe Ghosh, and senior advocate Prashant Bhushan are among the prominent figures invited to a march in the Capital on Friday to “restore democracy”, demand the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and press for the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Economist Parakala Prabhakar – husband of Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, actor-activist Prakash Raj, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait and author Tushar Gandhi have also been invited for the march that is also scheduled to be held in other parts of the country.
Prabhakar earlier described the SIR process as a “bloodless political genocide of citizenship”.
They were later released. It also warned the police, paramilitary personnel and prison authorities against using force on peaceful protesters. To be sure, there was no immediate comment or confirmation from the invitees on the march till the time of filing this report. Bora – president of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) – was also detained as she gave a call to protesters to regroup at Dilli Haat later in the day. Security forces stopped the group on Sri Aurobindo Marg and put the leaders in a bus. Protesters blocked the bus with the leaders and stopped it from moving, and an hour-long scuffle followed. Ghosh was also held near Bangla Sahib that day. Bhushan was also detained by the police.
Days before on October 6, INDIA bloc MPs, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, were detained as at least 300 lawmakers from the INDIA bloc marched from Parliament to the Election Commission.
“The People’s March to Reclaim Democracy will not request police permission anywhere,” the platform had said in a statement on October 18. The platform has planned a “No SIR” campaign under the slogan “Har Gali Jantar Mantar, Har Gaon Jantar Mantar, Mera Ghar Jantar Mantar”. The alliance said it has also invited the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). The march in the Capital is scheduled to be held from Bangla Sahib Gurdwara in Connaught Place to the Election Commission’s office near Patel Chowk, according to the platform. If police block the route, the protesters will hold a “People’s Parliament” and disperse after singing the national anthem, the group said. It has listed six “immediate” bottomlines and a second set of “key” demands. It has sought the removal and prosecution of Kumar, whom it referred to as “Gyanesh” and also sought revocation of the Election Commission of India’s legal immunity. “Gyanesh Kumar has violated his Constitutional pledge and must be prosecuted,” the statement said.
