A delegation led by All India Students’ Association president Neha Bora is scheduled to visit the Parliament Street police station in New Delhi on Monday to submit an intimation letter for a proposed October 2 protest at Jantar Mantar, after around 50 demonstrators were detained at the venue three days earlier.
The delegation, expected to arrive at 3 p.m. on September 28, will include lawyer Prashant Bhushan, activist Yogendra Yadav, academic Nandita Narain, RJD MP Manoj Jha and social activist Nikhil Dey. The proposed demonstration is demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and raising allegations concerning the functioning of the Election Commission.
Security was tightened around the Parliament Street police station ahead of the delegation’s visit. Representatives said another protest would follow if the police did not grant permission for the October 2 programme.
In a video message on social media, Ms. Bora questioned the police action against demonstrators seeking to gather at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site. “First you steal our right to vote, then we go to protest against this at a Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site, you then steal our right to democratic dissent,” she said, asking under which law and on whose orders the police were restricting the demonstration.
The proposed visit follows the detention of around 50 protesters, including Ms. Bora, in New Delhi on September 25. The group had been attempting to reach Jantar Mantar for a demonstration demanding the resignation and arrest of Mr. Kumar. Ms. Bora later said that students had been taken to Kanjhawala police station and that the protests would continue until their demands were addressed.
New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma said on September 25 that the protesters had been detained because no permission had been sought or granted to hold the demonstration at the venue. The protesters disputed that justification and alleged that the police action restricted their right to democratic dissent.
The episode has placed the administration of demonstrations at Jantar Mantar under renewed focus. Although the site is designated for protests, organisers may still be required to follow police procedures governing permissions, notification and crowd management. The opposing accounts in this case concern whether the required process had been completed and whether the police response was proportionate to the proposed gathering.
The police have not yet clarified whether a First Information Report was registered in connection with the September 25 incident. The delegation’s meeting with the Parliament Street police station is expected to address the proposed October 2 protest as well as the restrictions imposed on the earlier demonstration.
The immediate next step is the submission of the intimation letter on September 28. The police response will determine whether the October 2 protest proceeds at Jantar Mantar and under what conditions.
