Student groups demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over SIR, announce Delhi march from October 10

Some student organisations held a press conference in Delhi today over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. All India Students Association national president Neha Bora and Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das were among the young people present. They put forward their demands and also sought the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Das commented on the way Delhi Police, according to him, tried to suppress the students' agitation in Delhi. He said all people, all student organisations and every citizen of the country would stand united in the fight for Kumar's resignation. According to him, the fight would not be easy.

Das said the previous agitation in Delhi had been for the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan. He claimed that police had then lathi-charged students brutally and broken their heads. He also alleged that young women were harassed and molested and that pellet guns were fired. According to Das, the BJP government in Bihar even had AK47s fired. He said that this time too, the authorities were hatching a similar conspiracy in Delhi. He said the government was afraid that if the country's youth united, it would be in trouble.

Das said the fight this time would run a long way, so people from across the country should come to Delhi. According to him, the "Delhi Chalo" slogan was already travelling across the country. He asked those who had not yet booked tickets to do so. He said people would have to stay in Delhi for many days because this was not a one-day fight. He recalled that last time they stayed at Jantar Mantar for 35 to 36 days and faced lathi blows. According to him, the country's youth had understood that if a broken system was to be fixed, this fight had to be fought, and it would be fought through the right to vote.

Das made sharp allegations against Kumar. He asked what would be left of a citizen if the right to vote itself was taken away. In his words, if traitors like Gyanesh Kumar, whom he called true anti-nationals, held top posts in major institutions, the country could never develop. He alleged that these people had stolen the public's votes and should be removed from the system. According to Das, the responsibility now rested on the country's youth, and the government knew it, which was why it was rattled.

Das also alleged that since 2024 the government had not added Gen Z to the voter list. According to him, the reason was that the mood of the country had begun to change. He said the atmosphere had changed considerably after the Jantar Mantar agitation. Das alleged that Gen Z names were not entered because it was known that their votes would not go to the government.

On the agitation, Das said a nationwide movement had been called from October 10 to give a fitting reply to such people, with the slogan "Delhi Chalo". According to him, every citizen would join, take to the streets and return home only when the demands were met. He said that even if Kumar resigned, they would not step back, because the agitation would continue until the election process was changed and made transparent and the selection process for election commissioners was altered.

The CJP has also put forward some further demands. A criminal case should be registered against Kumar and he should be arrested immediately. The SIR process should be halted at once and the electoral roll of January 2025 should be implemented immediately. Decisions taken during the SIR should be investigated and illegal decisions cancelled.