Protester thrashed, bus stoned amid stir against election chief
A protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar turned violent in New Delhi on Saturday as demonstrators clashed with groups opposing the agitation. Near Palika Bazar, a young protester was beaten by approximately 20 people who raised slogans supporting the election chief and Delhi Police. One group member stated they would confront anyone criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adding that Gyanesh Kumar deserved the Bharat Ratna award.
In a separate incident, stones were thrown at a bus carrying detainees in Jhandewalan. Senior police officers said they had not received formal complaints but acknowledged videos of the incidents circulating online and initiated a probe. The violence occurred as Delhi implemented stringent security measures following a protest call by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and All India Students' Association (AISA) against alleged discrepancies in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision exercise of voter rolls. Among those detained were CJP founder Abhijit Dipke, colleague Saurav Das, and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee.
CJP's national organisation in-charge Ajinkya Shinde announced the protest would resume on Sunday, stating the movement sought voting rights for approximately 11 crore electors whose rights had allegedly been affected by the election chief's actions.
