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AISA rallies at Jantar Mantar, demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over SIR controversy

By Chandrupatla chanakya · 2026-10-03

What happened

AISA activists returned to Jantar Mantar on Saturday after police detained about 1,000 protesters the previous day. Led by national president Neha Bora, the demonstrators renewed calls for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, citing alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. AISA activists returned to Jantar Mantar on Saturday, demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged SIR irregularities despite mass detentions the day before.

TL;DR

AISA activists returned to Jantar Mantar on Saturday, demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged SIR irregularities despite mass detentions the day before.

Key points

Around 1,000 protesters were detained by Delhi Police on Friday during a joint demonstration against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
AISA national president Neha Bora, detained on Friday, called for a renewed protest at Jantar Mantar at 1 pm on Saturday.
Protesters allege irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demand Kumar’s resignation.
Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi have recorded at least 14 objections to SIR decisions over the past ten months.
Delhi Police denied permission for the Friday gathering, erected barricades, and restricted Metro access around Jantar Mantar.

New Delhi – A day after Delhi Police detained roughly 1,000 protesters—including political leaders, student activists from AISA, SFI, NSUI, AAP and others—AISA activists gathered near Jantar Mantar on Saturday despite heavy police barricading and heightened security. The fresh mobilisation was triggered by AISA national president Neha Bora, who had been among those detained on Friday. In a video message released on Friday evening, Bora urged activists to reconvene at 1 pm the next day, insisting that the detentions would not intimidate protesters and reaffirming the demand for Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.

Police began detaining people as they approached the protest site, deploying security personnel at multiple points and erecting barricades on roads leading to Jantar Mantar. Entry and exit at several nearby Metro stations were temporarily restricted during the Friday demonstration, after Delhi Police denied permission for the gathering and imposed heightened security measures across central Delhi.

The protesters are opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging irregularities in the revision process. Their demand for Kumar’s resignation is linked to concerns that the SIR exercise was conducted without proper oversight. The Indian Express recently reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over the past ten months to SIR decisions they said were issued without their knowledge or recommendation.

In response to the objections raised by the two commissioners, the Election Commission has asserted that differing views are a normal part of deliberations in any institution and that all its orders carry full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures. Nevertheless, AISA, together with allied student and political groups, continued its protest on Saturday, pressing ahead with demands for Kumar’s resignation and greater transparency in the SIR process.

The second‑day mobilisation saw continued police deployment around Jantar Mantar, but activists maintained their presence, signalling that the movement remains resilient despite the large‑scale detentions of the previous day.