Jantar Mantar protest, october 4: Highlights of a fight over access, policing and press freedom

Sunday, October 4, saw three days of protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

They were connected to the controversy surrounding the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls. Opposition parties, student groups and activists have raised concerns about the deletion of voters' names, while the Election Commission has defended the exercise and denied allegations of wrongdoing.

But in Delhi on October 4, the protest was no longer only about the voter rolls. Attention turned towards whether Jantar Mantar would be accessible to protesters and journalists, detentions and allegations about the treatment of protesters.

Jantar Mantar becomes the central focal point

Central Delhi was heavily secured from the morning. Police deployed around 5,000 personnel including Rapid Action Force and other paramilitary personnel, while multiple layers of barricades were installed around routes towards Jantar Mantar. Police had not allowed the proposed India Gate-to-Jantar Mantar march and prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were in force in the New Delhi district.

Despite the restrictions, AISA activists, civil society members, Indian Youth Congress workers and AAP supporters attempted to head towards Jantar Mantar.

The AISA-led mobilisation began near Andhra Bhawan Circle on Ashoka Road. Protesters raised slogans and moved towards the barricades. Tensions were high when some demonstrators tried to cross them.

At around 4 pm, police began detaining protesters. According to police sources cited by The Indian Express, about 250 people, including AISA, AAP and Indian Youth Congress workers and activist Yogendra Yadav, were detained during the protests of the day.

Ashoka Road remained shut for several hours, with traffic disrupted until around 6.30 pm.

Neha Bora and the disputed vehicle

One of the day's most significant episodes was about AISA national president Neha Bora.

Bora was leading the march from the Andhra Bhawan area towards Jantar Mantar when police stopped the protesters. Visuals showed her attempting to climb a barricade as police tried to stop her from crossing it. She was subsequently detained.

What happened after her detention became a separate issue of controversy. AISA members alleged that Bora was taken away in a private, unmarked vehicle without a number plate. They also alleged that there was no woman police officer in the vehicle.

However, the account was disputed by Delhi Police. DCP Sachin Sharma told Hindustan Times that Bora was taken in a government vehicle and two women police personnel were present in the vehicle.

The vehicle carrying Bora was stuck for more than 20 minutes as protesters surrounded it and tried to stop it from going, according to The Indian Express. Bora was later taken to the Narela Industrial Area police station and released in the evening, police said. AISA then alleged that she was released without her phone and bag.

The episode therefore raised the question beyond the detention itself: how transparent and accountable is the process when protesters are taken away during a tense demonstration?

India Gate sees a separate mobilisation

The protest activity spread to India Gate. AAP workers marched towards the area to protest against Gyanesh Kumar and demand his resignation. Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj and MLA Sanjeev Jha were among those detained.

Police said at least 25 AAP workers were detained. Bharadwaj later alleged that police personnel manhandled him during the detention. This allegation, however, remains his account and has not been treated here as an established finding.

The day's mobilisation then stretched across several parts of central Delhi, including India Gate, Ashoka Road, Raisina Road and the Jantar Mantar area.

The journalists' allegations from October 3

Sunday's events also took place against the backdrop of allegations by three women journalists who during the October 3 protest near Jantar Mantar had alleged sexual harassment and misconduct by Delhi Police personnel while they were covering the demonstration. Delhi Police said the complaints had been registered, medical examinations had taken place and the matter had been transferred to the Crime Branch for investigation. Police also sought relevant video footage from the public.

On October 4, journalists, protesters and lawyers gathered outside Parliament Street Police Station demanding action on the complaints. The Press Club of India also expressed concern with the reported treatment of journalists and stressed that media workers should be able to do their work freely.

This added yet another layer to the Jantar Mantar protests: alongside the original dispute over SIR were questions of protest restrictions and the safety of journalists covering such protests.

Mumbai joins the protest

The mobilisation was not limited to Delhi.

In Mumbai, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray led a joint demonstration against the Election Commission and the SIR process. Thousands of people participated in protests in Delhi and Mumbai on Sunday, according to Reuters.

The Mumbai mobilisation showed that opposition to the SIR process was also being taken up by regional political formations outside Delhi.

What October 4 really tells us

The defining feature of October 4 was the way the protest expanded beyond its original demand. The starting point was the Election Commission and the SIR controversy.

But on the streets of Delhi, another question arose: who gets to reach Jantar Mantar when authorities have restricted access to the area?

The answer on Sunday involved barricades, detentions, traffic restrictions and competing claims of police conduct.

Neha Bora's detention became a particularly visible example. AISA's claim of the vehicle used to take her away was disputed by the police, leaving an important part of the episode contested rather than conclusively established.

At the same time, the investigation into the October 3 allegations by women journalists brought the issue of media safety to the protest.

By the end of the day, Jantar Mantar had become more than the backdrop to a demonstration against the Election Commission.

It had become the point where electoral politics, the right to protest, police powers and the ability of journalists to report at the ground became all meeting at once.

That is what made October 4 significant: the argument which began with the voter list had moved onto the streets, where the right to protest and the way that protest is policed were part of the story itself.