Residents of central Delhi are weighing whether to attend an October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar, where organisers plan to demand Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and an end to the voter-roll revision.
Police have held meetings at colleges, universities and hostels, called volunteers and used loudspeakers to announce temporary restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). The provision allows an executive magistrate to issue urgent orders to maintain public order and prevent danger. Police have warned that an unauthorised gathering could disrupt order in the New Delhi area.
Some residents fear detention and say local shopkeepers have been asked not to prepare food for protesters. Salauddeen, head of the Matia Mahal Traders’ Organisation, told The Hindu that police were urging people not to join the demonstration. Others say they still plan to attend. Ashok Bhasin of the North Delhi Residents’ Welfare Federation told the paper that he considers protest a right and that people who are usually not politically active have agreed to take part.
Youth and community groups are going door to door in slum neighbourhoods and contacting domestic workers, daily-wage earners and factory workers. Naureen of the Disha Students’ Organisation said some people in these communities have limited information about the voter-roll revision and the possible deletion of names. She said a heavy police presence and possible transport restrictions could make it harder to reach the protest site.
Organisers want the special intensive revision of voter rolls, known as SIR, scrapped and oppose Gyanesh Kumar. These demands and participants’ concerns are claims by the groups involved, not findings by a court or the Election Commission.