Over 100 Detained During Protest In Chennai Seeking Gyanesh Kumar's Resignation

Chennai Police detained more than 100 protesters demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar near Elliott's Beach on Saturday, amid a nationwide protest over alleged deletions from electoral rolls and a police crackdown on a proposed demonstration in Delhi.

The protesters, many carrying placards, raised slogans against the Election Commission and demanded Kumar's resignation. The demonstration in Chennai came as Delhi Police moved against a proposed protest at Jantar Mantar by the Cockroach Janata Party.

Radhika Ganesh, a well-known activist who was among those detained, told NDTV: "We demand that Gyanesh Kumar must resign. More than 13 crore people have been unconstitutionally deleted from electoral rolls. Their rights have to be protected."

"Young people across India are demanding the same thing but are being detained everywhere. We need to be treated with humility and constitutionally. This detention is illegal," she said.

Asked whether the protesters belonged to the Cockroach Janata Party, another demonstrator said: "I am a citizen of India. I don't have to belong to any party."

Responding to the police's claim that the protesters had not obtained prior permission, another woman said, "There is a nationwide protest. Tamil Nadu Police is supposed to be friends of the people. What kind of government is this?"

A senior Chennai police officer told NDTV: "They had not obtained permission. We can't let that happen."

DMK chief and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin condemned the police action in Chennai, taking aim at both the Centre and the ruling TVK government.

"The scenes unfolding in Delhi today, and the scale of repression being unleashed against peaceful protesters, bring back painful memories of the Emergency that I lived through," Stalin said.

He demanded the immediate release of political leaders, students and young protesters detained in Delhi and elsewhere, and accused the TVK government of "acting as an extension of the BJP and unleashing police repression against protesting students".

DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin also attacked Chief Minister Vijay over the detention. Calling Vijay a "dummy Chief Minister", he questioned whom the Tamil Nadu leader was afraid of.

Udhayanidhi accused Vijay of proving he was the Centre's "unannounced slave" by arresting what he described as "intelligent and concerned youth".