Jantar Mantar news LIVE: Several protesters seeking CEC Gyanesh Kumar's arrest over ‘dissent’ row detained

Jantar Mantar news LIVE: Members of the All India Students' Association (AISA) shout slogans and hold placards during a protest outside Jantar Mantar, demanding immediate action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, in New Delhi.

Jantar Mantar news live updates: Several protesters seeking the arrest and resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar were reportedly detained by the Delhi Police during a protest at Jantar Mantar on Friday. TMC MP Mahua Moitra also joined the demonstration in the national capital. The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) marched from Raisina Road to Jantar Mantar, calling for Kumar's resignation. The Delhi unit of the All India Students' Association (AISA) also held a protest at Jantar Mantar....Read More

CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, activist Yogendra Yadav and several other protesters were detained, news agency PTI reported, quoting protest organisers.

AISA president Neha Bora also claimed on social media that she had been detained by the police.

Nationwide protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Congress workers staged protests in several states on Friday, with demonstrations reported in Delhi, Bihar, Assam, Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The protesters called for the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

In Delhi, Congress workers gathered at Jantar Mantar and raised slogans against Kumar as part of the party's nationwide protest.

In Assam, state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and several senior party leaders were detained while trying to cross police barricades during the demonstration, police said.

Mahua Moitra joins Jantar Mantar protest

TMC MP Mahua Moitra joined the protest at Jantar Mantar on Friday, where demonstrators were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Speaking to reporters at the protest, Moitra alleged that Kumar was "a criminal" and "needs to be prosecuted". She also called for his resignation.

"Gyanesh Kumar is a criminal and he needs to be prosecuted. He needs to resign", she said. Moitra also said police deployment would not stop the protesters. "The police is going to stop the protestors... The SIR process has to stop," she told news agency ANI.

Why Gyanesh Kumar is under fire: The ‘dissent’ row explained

The protests come after an Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on record at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders they said were taken without their knowledge. The objections came as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was being carried out under the supervision of the full commission.

According to the report, the objections included changes to the statutory voter registration Form 6, the process of adding and removing names from electoral rolls, and the centralised control of the electoral roll database.

The Election Commission has maintained that differences of opinion and observations are a normal part of deliberations within an institution. The poll panel has also said that its orders have full legal sanction and are issued in accordance with established statutory procedures.

CJP threatens nationwide protest on October 2

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has said it will launch nationwide protests from October 2 if Kumar does not resign by Saturday.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced that the protest would begin in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti and then spread to cities across India.

“If Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by tomorrow, CJP will begin its nationwide protest from Mumbai on 2 October, and take it to cities across India,” Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke said.

Follow all the updates here:

Sep 25, 2026, 18:55:30 IST

Jantar Mantar news LIVE: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has said it will launch nationwide protests from October 2 if Kumar does not resign by Saturday.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced that the protest would begin in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti and then spread to cities across India.

“If Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by tomorrow, CJP will begin its nationwide protest from Mumbai on 2 October, and take it to cities across India,” Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke said.

Sep 25, 2026, 18:50:28 IST

Jantar Mantar news LIVE: The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) marched from Raisina Road to Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Friday, calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

The demonstration came as Congress protests against the Election Commission spread across several states.

The march was part of the Congress' nationwide campaign over the functioning of the Election Commission and its handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Sep 25, 2026, 18:43:46 IST

Jantar Mantar news LIVE: TMC MP Mahua Moitra joined the protest at Jantar Mantar on Friday, where demonstrators were calling for Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar to resign.

Addressing reporters at the protest, Moitra alleged that Kumar was "a criminal" and "needs to be prosecuted". She also called for his resignation.

"Gyanesh Kumar is a criminal and he needs to be prosecuted. He needs to resign", she said. Moitra also said the presence of police would not deter the protesters. "The police is going to stop the protestors... The SIR process has to stop," she told news agency ANI.

Sep 25, 2026, 18:34:44 IST

Jantar Mantar news LIVE: Several protesters seeking the arrest and resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar were reportedly detained by Delhi Police during a protest at Jantar Mantar on Friday.

The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) marched from Raisina Road to Jantar Mantar, calling for Kumar's resignation. The Delhi unit of the All India Students' Association (AISA) also held a protest at Jantar Mantar.