NEW DELHI: Delhi Police on Saturday registered three FIRs in connection with Friday’s protests by student organisations, political parties and civil society activists who attempted to gather at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.Two FIRs were registered at Parliament Street police station and one at Connaught Place police station, a senior police officer said. The cases invoke Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with alleged disobedience of an order duly promulgated by a public servant.No individual or organisation has been named as an accused in the FIRs, the officer said. However, details of organisers and organisations that proposed or participated in the demonstrations have been included in the contents of the cases.The FIRs follow a day of protests across central Delhi, where thousands of opposition activists, students and youth organisation members attempted to march towards Jantar Mantar. Police detained around 1,000 protesters as they tried to cross barricades and reach the designated protest site.The demonstrations involved the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and other organisations. Protesters were demanding Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged mass deletion of voters.Police had repeatedly announced that gatherings were not permitted at Jantar Mantar. Protesters were stopped at several locations, including Firoz Shah Road and Ashoka Road, with some attempting to push past barricades. AISA president Neha Bora and several other activists were among those stopped.
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AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi and Sanjeev Jha were detained, while Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was stopped while heading towards the protest. NSUI president Vinod Jakhar and activists from SFI and other student groups were also detained.Security was stepped up across central Delhi, with around 5,000 Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel deployed. Entry and exit gates at 12 metro stations were closed and internet services were suspended in parts of central Delhi amid the protests.