India
oi-Gaurav Sharma
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has called out the BJP-controlled Delhi Police and revealed that its personnel detained and manhandled AAP leaders and student wing Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP) volunteers at India Gate during a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The protesters had marched on foot from Jantar Mantar to India Gate, where Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj, MLAs Sanjeev Jha and Kuldeep Kumar, along with other leaders and ‘karyakartas’, were taken into custody and forced into buses.
AAP stated that during the detention, some police personnel grabbed Saurabh Bharadwaj by his legs and lifted him upside down, leaving his face towards the ground and causing him difficulty breathing before he was released.
AAP protested at India Gate demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, accusing Delhi Police of brutality while detaining leaders including Saurabh Bharadwaj and Sanjeev Jha, whom AAP labeled a “vote-chor”.
Condemning the police brutality, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal stated, “The police brutality is absolutely shocking. PM Modi has even surpassed Hitler.”
Following his detention, AAP Delhi Unit President Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “The police are picking me up and throwing me around as if I am a football. They lifted me with my legs up and head down and carried me away. Everyone saw how badly they were misbehaving with us. Despite having such a huge police force, they are neither registering an FIR against their ACP nor arresting him.”
He continued, “Those who are standing here peacefully in support of that woman’s rights are being treated so badly by the police. What do these policemen think of ordinary people? When they are behaving so badly with leaders and journalists, how must they be treating the common public? Delhi Police has crossed all limits of brutality. The BJP Government at the Centre will now have to go. I appeal to people to come to India Gate and raise their voice against this injustice.”
During the protest, Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha emphasised, “No matter how powerful those in power may be, they cannot run away from the questions being asked by the people. The vote is ours, the Constitution is ours and democracy is ours too. The questions being raised over the electoral process and the right to vote must be answered not through silence, pressure or police action, but through transparency and facts. Neither the questions will be suppressed, nor will our voices be silenced. No one will be allowed to evade accountability, and there will be no compromise on democratic rights.”
Sanjeev Jha further asserted, “We had come to march from India Gate to Jantar Mantar, but the police force is trying to protect traitors like Gyanesh Kumar. Gyanesh Kumar has betrayed this country, helped form the BJP Government through ‘vote-chori’ and taken away people’s right to vote. Our protest will continue until Gyanesh Kumar is removed. On one side is the government’s dictatorship, and on the other is our struggle. We will put our lives on the line to protect the democracy of this country and will not rest until Gyanesh Kumar resigns.”
Meanwhile, Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar asserted, “Gyanesh Kumar, a traitor to the country, will have to resign. Gyanesh Kumar is a ‘vote-chor’ and he has deleted the votes of poor people. Amit Shah and PM Modi want to protect him, but Gyanesh Kumar will not be spared now. A traitor like Gyanesh Kumar has no right to remain in this position. He has taken away people’s right to vote and formed the BJP Government through ‘Vote-chori’. Until Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is removed and our demands are fulfilled, our movement will continue from the streets to the House, wherever necessary.”
