About 15 Delhi Police personnel were injured and 110 people detained after an Indian Youth Congress (IYC) protest march turned violent. The IYC was protesting against Gyanesh Kumar, demanding his resignation over an Election Commission row.

Around 15 Delhi Police personnel were injured during a protest in the national capital on Sunday, police sources said. Some women police personnel also sustained injuries after being bitten during the protest. Around 110 people were detained in connection with the protest, the sources said.

IYC Stages Protest Against Gyanesh Kumar

Earlier, the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Sunday staged a protest march from Raisina Road towards Jantar Mantar against Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the Central government of shielding him and demanding his immediate resignation. The march was led by IYC National President Uday Bhanu Chib, with hundreds of youth workers carrying placards and raising slogans against the government amidst heavy police deployment and barricading along the route.

Speaking to ANI, IYC National President Uday Bhanu Chib criticised the Delhi Police for stopping the demonstrators from marching towards the designated protest site. "The question is that we are going to Jantar Mantar. Even the Supreme Court said that if you want to protest peacefully, you have to go to Jantar Mantar. But we are not being allowed because Modi and Shah have to save Gyanesh. This traitor of the country, Gyanesh, cannot be saved. We will go towards Jantar Mantar. No one's father owns Jantar Mantar. If they try to stop us here, we will sit down right there," Chib said.

Further hitting out at the BJP-led Central government, Chib stated, "They are scared; their theft has been caught. For the last year and a half, Rahul Gandhi has been exposing these thieves' thievery to the country, and now more evidence is coming out. The time for reckoning has come; the country's journalists and youth are panicking; they are resorting to violence against the youth, but they cannot escape this."

IYC National Secretary Roshani Jaiswal also lashed out at the dispensation, alleging that attempts were being made to suppress the matter. "This government is using every tactic to save Gyanesh, but Gyanesh won't be saved. Tihar is his real place and Gyanesh, it's done bro, it's done," Jaiswal said.

Demanding an immediate stepping down from his post, Chitwan Godara, National Coordinator of the IYC Legal Team, questioned the government over accountability. "Gyanesh Kumar must resign, but the BJP and its supporters do not know the meaning of the word accountability. We will keep protesting until justice is served, because there are other women too," Godara stated.

The Controversy Explained

The controversy followed a report in The Indian Express saying Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally raised objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months over decisions on electoral rolls, voter registration, and the Commission’s technology systems. The Election Commission, however, rejected the suggestion that the reported objections amounted to institutional dissent over final decisions.

The poll panel said that operational queries, inputs and suggestions raised during the draft stage were part of its standard administrative and decision-making process. ECI stated that the decisions regarding the schedule of the SIR exercise were unanimous. (ANI)

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