Several NSUI members detained during protest seeking CEC’s removal

New Delhi: Several NSUI members, including its national president Vinod Jakhar, were detained by Delhi Police during a symbolic protest near the student organisation’s headquarters on Raisina Road on Monday, October 5.

The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) staged the demonstration to demand the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Protesters dressed and acted as “living dead” as they marched on the road connecting the NSUI headquarters with Jantar Mantar, seeking to highlight what they described as threats to voters’ rights and the electoral process.

The protesters carried placards and raised slogans against alleged “vote chori”, including messages saying that the people’s voice could not be suppressed.

NSUI said the police detained several participants, including Jakhar, while the demonstration was under way. The student organisation criticised the action, maintaining that its members were peacefully raising concerns about the conduct of the electoral process.

Jakhar said the unusual form of protest was intended to convey that democracy loses its meaning when citizens’ votes and democratic rights are undermined. He reiterated the NSUI’s demand for accountability from the Election Commission and called for Kumar’s resignation and arrest.

The demonstration comes amid a series of protests in Delhi over allegations of irregularities in the electoral process. Several activists and political leaders have also been detained during demonstrations near Jantar Mantar in recent days.

The NSUI has accused the Election Commission of failing to adequately respond to concerns surrounding alleged “vote chori” and has continued to press for action against the CEC.

NSUI media in-charge Ravi Hanuman Pandey condemned the detention of Jakhar and other members, saying the students were exercising their right to peacefully question the electoral process. He accused the Delhi Police of detaining protesters instead of addressing the concerns they had raised.