AIUDF MLA Rafikul Islam backs Delhi protest, demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation

All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA Rafikul Islam on October 10 backed a protest led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in Delhi and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that 13 crore voters’ names had been removed from electoral rolls in collusion with the BJP.

Speaking to media, Islam termed the protest peaceful and said his party supported the demonstrators’ demand for the CEC’s resignation. He accused Kumar of committing a serious offence but did not provide evidence to substantiate the allegation regarding the removal of voters’ names.

The protest, announced as ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’, sought Kumar’s removal from office. Delhi Police detained demonstrators attempting to march towards Jantar Mantar, stating that permission had not been granted for the gathering.

According to ANI, Delhi Police had detained around 1,000 protesters across the national capital by October 10, while Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee alleged that around 2,500 people had been detained in connection with the demonstrations.

Banerjee claimed that those detained included party workers, supporters, people with no political affiliation and bystanders. He also alleged that a peaceful protest involving former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and five TMC MPs had been prevented.

Congress MP Deepender Hooda criticised the police action, alleging that the detentions were creating an atmosphere of dictatorship in the country. He said the Congress would continue its protests.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray also questioned the detentions, alleging that the BJP was acting out of fear of public protests.

The allegations made by opposition leaders regarding voter-list deletions and the handling of the protests could not be independently verified from the information available.