Five Left Student Groups Announce October 10 Protest at Jantar Mantar
Five Left student organisations announced on Tuesday that they will hold a joint protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on October 10. The demonstration has been called to demand the resignation and prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the total revocation and scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and an end to alleged police brutality against demonstrators and journalists.
The protest has been called jointly by the Students' Federation of India (SFI), All India Students' Federation (AISF), All India Students' Association (AISA), Progressive Students' Union (PSU), and All India Students' Bloc (AISB). The organisations confirmed that their members would turn out in large numbers at the Jantar Mantar protest site to oppose the functioning of the Election Commission of India.
In their joint statement, the five groups stated that they are coming together to unite multiple student bodies into a broader movement to challenge the commission's functioning and resist electoral roll revisions. They urged other democratic organisations and individuals who uphold constitutional values to participate alongside them in the October 10 demonstration.
Underlining the collective mobilisation, the joint statement noted: "Thousands, irrespective of their socio-cultural backgrounds and political affiliations, have come together in defence of democratic values on which the imagination of modern India was built."
Beyond seeking comprehensive reforms within the Election Commission of India, the student groups reiterated that their core demands include the immediate resignation and prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alongside the complete revocation and rollback of the Special Intensive Revision exercise.
The student bodies also raised serious allegations regarding the use of force by law enforcement during recent gatherings. According to the joint statement, demonstrations directed at the Election Commission of India and its functioning have consistently been met with force by Delhi Police.
Detailing the allegations of police action, the groups stated: "Protestors are being manhandled, lathi-charged, dragged, assaulted and groped by Delhi Police. Even journalists are not being spared." The organisations affirmed that their upcoming mobilization would directly oppose these crackdowns on demonstrators and members of the press.
The joint statement was issued by SFI general secretary Srijan Bhattacharya, AISF general secretary Dinesh Srirangarajan, AISA general secretary Praseenjeet Kumar, PSU general secretary Balaram Sajeev, and AISB convenor Amit Singh.
