The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) condemned a major police crackdown in New Delhi on Saturday, 10 October, after authorities detained thousands of people in an effort to prevent a demonstration demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
CPI(M) and CPI condemn crackdown as protests demand Kumar’s removal
The two parties have been in the forefront of the protests that have been going on for over a week with the these central demands: Kumar’s removal, an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and safeguards for the independence and impartiality of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Saturday's mobilisation was called to take place at Jantar Mantar. Delhi Police denied permission for the gathering and imposed extensive restrictions across the capital. PM Modi imposed a virtual curfew in Delhi to protect vote-chor Gyanesh Kumar: barricades, lathis, detentions, surveillance. Police detained people approaching the planned protest site and transported many to temporary detention facilities. According to reports several thousand people were detained.
Senior CPI(M) leaders were among those detained while heading towards the protest. They included general secretary M. A. Baby, who was brutally manhandled, veteran leader Brinda Karat and former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Polit Bureau members John Brittas and Arun Kumar, along with other leaders and members of the party. All members of the Central Committee were detained. Other party leaders and representatives of left-wing student and youth organisations were also taken into custody.
The CPI(M) condemned the detentions as an attack on democratic rights and accused the BJP-led Union government of using the police to suppress opposition. Vijayan described the events as a “murder of democracy” and said the campaign against Kumar would continue. Party leaders also shared messages declaring that police action and restrictions would not silence demands for electoral accountability.
CPI National Secretary Rama Krushna Panda was among those detained, along with many other members of the party. CPI issued a statement condemning BJP's fascist methods to suppress the protests.
The controversy centres on the SIR, a revision of electoral rolls that opposition parties say risks excluding eligible voters. They allege that the process and the Election Commission’s handling of it have undermined public confidence and could benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP and the Election Commission reject allegations of political manipulation and maintain that the revision is intended to verify voter lists.
The CPI(M) and CPI maintain that electoral accountability requires both an impartial Election Commission and protection of citizens’ voting rights. Saturday’s detentions have added a dispute over freedom of assembly to that debate. The opposition campaign is set to continue, with the INDIA bloc announcing plans for another mobilisation in Delhi on 12 October.