Hansi (Dinkar Gawri):- The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has strongly condemned the detention of opposition party leaders and workers amid the ongoing protest in Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, calling it a cowardly act by the government. On Friday morning, Rajendra Sorkhi, a member of the AAP National Council and the party’s district president in Hansi, was detained by police while he was on his way to Jantar Mantar with his supporters. He was taken to the Sorkhi police post, where he was kept for hours.
In a statement issued to the press, Rajendra Sorkhi said that such low-level government action could not weaken the resolve of opposition parties and their leaders. He said police had detained hundreds of leaders from Haryana at different locations and prevented them from travelling to Delhi to participate in the proposed protest at Jantar Mantar by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and student organisations. The government should not forget that suppressing the people’s voice in this manner would only intensify the protest. Despite police resistance, several leaders and workers managed to reach Delhi.
Rajendra Sorkhi said the protesters’ main demands include Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and criminal action against him, suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), restoration of the January 2025 electoral rolls, an independent investigation, and repeal of the 2023 law governing the appointment of election commissioners.
He alleged that the government, fearing the protest, had imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in Delhi. Thousands of police personnel and paramilitary forces have been deployed, and barricades have been erected at Jantar Mantar and in surrounding areas. Internet restrictions have also been imposed in several parts of Delhi. In an unprecedented move in the history of the Delhi Metro, 57 metro stations were closed simultaneously from 9 p.m. on Friday.
