Protests Erupt in Delhi; SFI Leader Adarsh M Saji Injured in Police Crackdown

New Delhi: Delhi Police used force against the student and youth protest demanding action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over interference in the electoral process. Police launched an attack on a joint protest organised by SFI, AISF, DYFI and CJP activists at Connaught Place.

Several protesters, including SFI All India president Adarsh M Saji, were injured. DYFI leader Jaick C Thomas was dragged along the road before being taken into custody.

The central government, which fears peaceful protests, had effectively shut down the city in the name of security. Police then used force against students who had arrived to protest. Students staging a sit-in on the road were dragged away by central forces and police. Women protesters were also detained after police grabbed them by the neck.

The Modi government's police crackdown continued in Delhi on Saturday to protect Gyanesh Kumar. Delhi Police launched a sweeping operation to suppress the ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’ protest announced jointly by CJP and Left youth and student organisations, carrying out widespread arrests and detentions that were described as serious human rights violations.

Around 10,000 people were arrested in Delhi alone. With police stations unable to accommodate the detainees, three stadiums in the city were turned into temporary detention camps.

The situation was such that people who ventured out into the city were taken into custody. CPI(M) leaders were transported to police stations on the outskirts of Delhi in ‘bus jails’, with their interiors divided into compartments using iron bars.

Police responded to protesters on Delhi's streets by beating them brutally and dragging them along the roads. Around 50,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed at Jantar Mantar and in the surrounding areas.