Farmers under the banner of Bharatiya Kisan Union’s (BKU) Tikait faction on Saturday (October 10, 2026) protested at district headquarters across western Uttar Pradesh seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Delhi Police detained a delegation led by national general secretary Yudhvir Singh while it was on its way to Jantar Mantar. “Jantar Mantar is a spot where any Indian can peacefully express discontent. Delhi Police’s behaviour was improper. We were taken around the city for more than three hours in a vehicle meant for heinous criminals and kept in detention at the Mundka police station. As an NDA constituent, farmers traditionally form the party’s core vote bank. “This is not the time to look into narrow political interests. Mr. “(YouTuber) Dhruv Rathee is our child. If they target him, we will not hold back. “We will not let it go easily. Calling the protest a success, Mr. “Protests are about sending a message. The unprecedented measures like calling in paramilitary forces and six-layer barricading have sent a message across the country that the government is under fear and hiding something. Election Commission of India is an independent body. The call, he added, was not against the BJP government. “It is about seeking answers from the commission after news reports suggested that the CEC is taking illegal decisions without consultation, but the BJP has taken upon itself to defend Gyanesh Kumar. However, some Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were seen carrying a submachine gun.
Describing the protests as a watershed moment in India’s history, the farmer leader said the country had won democracy after more than 700 years of struggle. Earlier reporting noted: After a hearing in the Supreme Court on Friday (October 9, 2026) regarding the restrictions in Delhi, the government had contemplated offering Ramlila Maidan as an alternative protest site to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) organisers, officials claimed. Earlier reporting noted: Pellet guns, which had injured at least four people on July 20 during the protest demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister, leading to one of them losing vision in an eye, were withdrawn from the anti-riot gear of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) for Saturday’s protest.
Some of our members have been held in Dwarka,” he said. The senior farmer leader, a special invitee on the Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Central Parliamentary Board, said he would raise the issue in the right forum. I admire [Union Minister] Chirag Paswan for taking a stand in support of young protesters,” he told The Hindu . Singh, also the general secretary of the All India Jat Mahasabha, said the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise didn’t affect one group and that the farmers strongly support the young protesters. If the police have weapons, we are known to use our agricultural tools as weapons in times of adversity,” he said. Singh said the government’s rigid approach, including deploying paramilitary forces, cancelling trains, and shutting down Delhi Metro, has amplified the protest’s message. If it is working under someone’s pressure, it should come to light,” he said. Earlier reporting noted: Next challenge for govt.: how to stop largely ‘leaderless’ crowd from regrouping after October 10 anti-CEC protest Though the Union government succeeded in preventing protesters seeking Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation from converging at Jantar Mantar on Saturday (October 10, 2026) through large-scale deployment of security forces, its next challenge appeared to be stopping the largely “leaderless” crowd from regrouping in the coming days. But, they said, neither the CJP nor the Left youth groups taking part in the agitation requested this.
He said senior BKU leader and national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait, who was in Pune on Saturday, would soon join the protest.
