Opposition leaders slam Delhi Police over protest detentions and voter roll claims

Guwahati: AIUDF MLA Rafikul Islam threw his weight behind a Delhi protest on October 10. He demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Islam claimed 13 crore voter names vanished from electoral rolls through collusion with the BJP. He offered no evidence for this claim. The legislator termed the event peaceful and backed the Cockroach Janata Party demand for the CEC to step down.

Chaos erupted as Delhi Police blocked the march to Jantar Mantar. Officers cited a lack of permits for the gathering. Authorities detained about 1,000 people across the city by that evening. TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee pushed the number much higher. He claimed authorities snatched up 2,500 people, including bystanders and political workers. He stated, "A peaceful protest involving former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and five TMC MPs had been prevented."

Political leaders swarmed to criticize the police response. Congress MP Deepender Hooda called the situation an atmosphere of dictatorship. He vowed that his party would not stop its demonstrations. Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray also weighed in. He alleged the BJP is simply afraid of the public. Official confirmation of the voter list deletions remains unavailable.