Delhi Police File 3 FIRs After Jantar Mantar Protests Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar
Delhi Police registered three First Information Reports, including one at the Connaught Place police station, on Saturday, October 3, 2026, following demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The protests, which took place on Friday, October 2, saw political leaders, student organisations, and civil society activists attempt to assemble at Jantar Mantar in defiance of prohibitory restrictions imposed across the New Delhi district.
Two FIRs were lodged at the Parliament Street police station and one at Connaught Place police station. All three cases invoked Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for alleged disobedience of an order duly promulgated by a public servant. According to a senior police officer, no specific individuals or groups have been named as accused in the FIRs, though details of the organisers and organisations that proposed or joined the demonstrations were recorded.
Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) had been enforced across the district ahead of the protests to maintain public order, ensure safety, and keep traffic moving smoothly. Under the curbs, gatherings of five or more individuals, demonstrations, processions, dharnas, picketing, speeches, and slogan shouting were prohibited without prior written permission. Carrying firearms, banners, placards, lathis, swords, sticks, brickbats, and similar items was also barred.
Police publicly notified the public of the restrictions roughly three hours before the scheduled demonstration on Friday morning, warning that non-compliance would attract action under Section 223 of the BNS and other relevant provisions. Under Section 223, disobeying such an order carries a jail term of up to six months, a fine of up to ₹2,500, or both. If the disobedience causes or tends to cause danger to human life, health, or safety, or causes a riot or affray, the penalty can extend to one year in prison, a fine of up to ₹5,000, or both.
Demonstrators sought to reach Jantar Mantar to demand Kumar's resignation over allegations concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The FIRs did not detail the Election Commission's responses or stance regarding those allegations.
Police and paramilitary personnel detained nearly 1,000 individuals at Jantar Mantar and nearby areas to prevent groups from reaching the site, with many later released. Those detained included Aam Aadmi Party leaders Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Sanjay Singh, Kuldeep Kumar, Jarnail Singh, and Sanjeev Jha, alongside civil society activist Yogendra Yadav, RJD MP Manoj Jha, CPI Rajya Sabha MP P Sandesh, Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib, NSUI national president Vinod Jakhar, DYFI national president A.A. Rahim, and AISA national president Neha Bora.
Detainees were taken to multiple police stations across the city, including Badarpur, Karawal Nagar, Dwarka Sector 23, and Fatehpur Beri. Police transported Atishi, Kuldeep Kumar, and Anurag Dhanda to Fatehpur Beri, while Sanjay Singh, Bharadwaj, and Sanjeev Jha were held at the Dwarka Sector 23 facility.
