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World

Indian police use tear gas and water cannon against protesters demanding election chief's resignation

Police used tear gas and water cannon on Friday as Congress supporters protested across India demanding the election chief's resignation over voter-roll manipulation claims.

By Sarah Whitfield · · 2 min read

Indian police used tear gas and water cannon on Friday to disperse Congress supporters protesting nationwide for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged voter-roll manipulation.

In at least a dozen of India’s 28 states, protesters shouted slogans against Kumar, carried posters demanding his arrest, and burned effigies of him and Modi in one instance. In Delhi, hundreds scaled barricades and jeered a man in a Kumar mask; detentions followed at Jantar Mantar, where Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra said: “Gyanesh Kumar is a criminal and he needs to be prosecuted. He needs to resign,” demanding the SIR process be stopped.

Water cannon were fired in at least two places, including Chandigarh, where Congress leader Amarinder Singh Raja said “theft of votes is happening across the country”. Tear gas broke up effigy-burning protesters outside Imphal’s Chief Electoral Officer office in Manipur. Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi was detained at barricades in Guwahati; in Patna, water cannon stopped marchers reaching the poll panel’s office, with Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram calling the commission “compromised”.

An Indian Express report on Wednesday triggered the protests: Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times in 10 months to decisions issued without their knowledge, amid the national SIR. Congress accuses the commission of colluding with Modi’s BJP to manipulate voter lists; both deny it, with the EC calling differing views normal deliberation.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said late on Thursday: “For three years, I have been exposing vote theft. Now, the election commissioners themselves are acknowledging it and bringing the truth to light,” adding: “Gyanesh Kumar has committed treason. He should resign immediately,” Reuters reports.

Kumar, 62, a former civil servant appointed by Modi’s government, has not commented.

Sources

More on this topic: all World stories

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