New Delhi: A day after a heavy police crackdown on demonstrators demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Opposition leaders on Sunday called on citizens to join a major march to the Supreme Court on Monday, October 12, while fiercely criticising recent police detentions across the national capital.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi urged youth, political parties and civil society groups to assemble for the march to submit a memorandum to Chief Justice Surya Kant demanding the CEC’s immediate resignation, an end to “vote chori”, and the halting of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

“They came with love in their hearts, not hatred or anger. They were beaten, both by cops and BJP goons. This is not the India we want,” Gandhi stated, urging citizens to shed fear with the call “Daro mat”.

Activists vow street resumption amid crackdown

Following his release from preventive custody at Delhi Cantt Police Station, CJP activist Abhijeet Dipke affirmed that he had signed no undertaking restricting future protests and declared he would “return to the streets”, challenging authorities to jail him “not just once, but a hundred times”.

Dipke and fellow released activists Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka alleged severe mistreatment during detention. Das claimed, “The situation across the country right now mirrors an open Emergency. Such repressive conditions have not been witnessed since the dictatorial regime of 1975,” pointing out that thousands of security personnel were deployed and 57 metro stations were shuttered.

Dipke also alleged police denied him a phone call to contact family after informing him of his 85-year-old grandmother's passing. Addressing the claim, Delhi Police DCP Neha Yadav stated officers informed Dipke “sensitively”, offered flight and phone assistance, and “repeatedly asked if he wished to speak to his parents, but he declined”. DCP Yadav added that Section 133 BNSS was enforced due to prior law-and-order disruptions involving stone-pelting and property damage during group demonstrations.

Meanwhile, content creator Dhruv Rathee alleged that around 20 plainclothes men forcibly entered his residence while he was asleep, dragging him away without footwear in what he termed a “kidnapping, holding him for over 20 hours without access to a lawyer.

 

Political fallout and legal arguments

The call for the October 12 march drew sharp reactions from across the political spectrum.

Opposition voices: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged “an Emergency has been declared” to protect one individual, while SP chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed authorities have “learned from Hitler”. TMC MP Derek O'Brien thanked youth activists, writing, “Now, ALL of us, together”.

BJP response: Dismissing the agitation, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar remarked that the Opposition “occasionally makes its presence felt, much like a cockroach crawling across one's back”. 

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta commended Delhi Police for maintaining public safety against attempts by Congress, AAP and Left parties to cause disruption.

Constitutional mechanism: BJP leader and advocate Karuna Sagar emphasised the statutory removal process under Article 324(5) and Article 124(4), stating, “They should open the Constitution and its articles. They should know the procedure to remove the CEC... prove their case and try to remove the CEC.”

Amid the escalation, the Supreme Court directed authorities to immediately lift Section 163 BNSS prohibitory orders near the apex court complex, ruling that “smooth movement of people in the city shall be permitted in accordance with law. There shall be no illegal detention, particularly of peaceful, unarmed assemblages of people...”

Concurrently, All India Bar Association chairman Adish C Aggarwala urged Rahul Gandhi to reconsider leading a political delegation to the CJI on sub-judice matters, suggesting the opposition instead pursue a parliamentary removal motion.

ANI