A protest march against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was halted by Delhi Police on Friday after demonstrators attempted to reach the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters in the national capital. Organised by the Delhi Coordination Committee of the ‘People Against SIR’ platform, the march began near Gole Dak Khana and drew participation from farmers’ organisations, trade unions, civil society groups and political activists. The protesters alleged that the ongoing voter roll revision exercise could lead to the deletion of eligible voters and demanded greater transparency in the process.

As the march advanced towards the ECI office, police stopped the protesters on Ashoka Road and detained several participants after warning them to disperse. When prevented from moving forward, demonstrators staged a sit-in and organised what they described as a “People’s Parliament,” saying the protest was aimed at protecting democratic rights and the Constitution. Nationwide demonstrations were also held in support of the campaign, with protesters calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and seeking legal action over the implementation of the SIR exercise.

Several opposition leaders and activists addressed the gathering, criticising the electoral roll revision process and urging the Central Government to withdraw the exercise. Senior CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat accused the government of undermining voting rights and demanded that the SIR process be stopped. Meanwhile, Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) representative Ashutosh Ranka said the organisation was awaiting further communication from the Crime Branch regarding a notice it had received. The protests continued peacefully in several locations, while police maintained security and removed detained protesters from the area in police vehicles.