Protest Against Gyanesh: State Machinery Goes Into Overdrive To Ban Dissent, Criminalising Even The Right To Raise A Slogan

A proposed protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Gandhi Jayanti has triggered a sweeping security and administrative response in the national capital, with prohibitory orders, barricades, metro restrictions and a ban on slogans, speeches and gatherings of five or more people without prior permission.

The protest, called by student and youth organisations over the functioning of the Election Commission and its handling of electoral rolls, has become a flashpoint over the space available for public dissent in Delhi.

Delhi Police has not granted permission for the Jantar Mantar mobilisation. Yet organisers have said they intend to proceed, with around 1,500 people expected to participate.

Slogans And Speeches Barred

The New Delhi district administration has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

The restrictions prohibit public gatherings of five or more people without prior written permission and cover demonstrations, processions, picketing and dharnas.

The order also bars slogan shouting and public speeches without permission, along with the carrying of banners, placards, sticks and other specified articles.

Authorities said the measures were imposed to maintain public order, ensure public safety and facilitate smooth traffic movement.

Barricades Go Up Across Central Delhi

The security response extended well beyond Jantar Mantar.

Barricades were placed near Nizamuddin, while heavy security was deployed in central Delhi and around Janpath ahead of the proposed mobilisation.

Entry and exit gates at several metro stations, including Janpath, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Rajiv Chowk, Seva Teerth, Mandi House and Lok Kalyan Marg, were shut amid the security arrangements.

The restrictions have added another layer to a protest already facing an official denial of permission.

Protesters Say They Have A Right To Demonstrate

Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj reached Jantar Mantar on Friday and called for people to join the demonstration.

Bharadwaj said protesting was a right and alleged that police were using the absence of permission to prevent people from gathering.

He also said the AAP had applied six days earlier for permission to hold a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar.

The proposed mobilisation has been called by the All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), against the backdrop of wider protests over the Election Commission’s handling of electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision exercise.

A Protest Over Electoral Rolls Becomes A Test Of Dissent

The immediate dispute is over the Election Commission, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the handling of electoral rolls.

But the scale of the restrictions has broadened the confrontation. With gatherings, dharnas, speeches and even slogan shouting subject to prior permission, the protest has also raised questions among organisers and political groups about the extent to which dissent can be exercised in the capital.

For the authorities, the restrictions are framed as measures to maintain public order and manage security and traffic. For those seeking to protest, the measures have become part of the political dispute itself.

As Delhi braces for the proposed mobilisation, the confrontation is therefore no longer confined to the Election Commission or electoral rolls. It is also about where, and under what conditions, citizens and political groups can publicly register their dissent.