New Delhi: The political row over the Election Commission’s functioning and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls spilled onto the streets of Delhi on Friday, as the All India Students’ Association (AISA) held a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The demonstration turned tense as Delhi Police detained several protesters who had gathered at the protest site.

Among those detained were AISA president Neha Bora and political analyst Yogendra Yadav, according to reports.

The AISA-led demonstration drew students, activists, lawyers and political figures, with protesters raising slogans demanding action against Gyanesh Kumar over what they described as irregularities in the electoral process.

Prashant Bhushan, Anjali Bhardwaj, RJD MP Manoj Jha, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya and Nandita Narain were also among those who participated, according to organisers.

Police barricades were put up around Jantar Mantar, with protesters reportedly stopped before they could reach the designated demonstration area.

Several people were detained during the action, with organisers alleging that protesters were prevented from holding the demonstration at the site.

The protest came amid an intensifying political dispute over the SIR exercise and allegations concerning the Election Commission.

A recent report by The Indian Express has also triggered a wider debate over disagreements within the poll panel and the functioning of the Commission.

The developments come just a day after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Gyanesh Kumar to resign and warned of a nationwide agitation if he did not step down.

The organisation has also announced what it calls ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’ as part of its proposed campaign.

Congress protests across India

Meanwhile, the Congress launched nationwide protests on Friday demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Demonstrations were reported across several states, with police detaining protesters in some locations and using water cannons in Patna and Chandigarh, according to reports.

With the Congress protests, the AISA demonstration and the CJP’s proposed nationwide agitation unfolding within days of each other, the controversy surrounding the Election Commission and SIR has increasingly moved from political statements to street protests.