Following is a statement jointly issued by CFD, PUCL and Jan Hastakshep
The developments in Delhi and elsewhere in the country expose a disturbing pattern of repression. Citizens asserting their democratic right to question arbitrary state power and to organize protests have been met with force, intimidation and sweeping restrictions.
A report in The Indian Express (23 September 2026) raised serious allegations about unilateral decisions by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, without consultation with the other two Election Commissioners. Concerns over the exclusion of eligible voters led to demands for his resignation. Instead of answering these allegations and restoring public confidence, the Union Government and ruling party defended the CEC while the state machinery was deployed to contain the agitation.
Delhi was turned into a security fortress. Reports cited the deployment of around 23,000 personnel of the Central forces to assist Delhi Police, including five all-women paramilitary companies; multiple barricades; cancellation of 245 Delhi-bound trains; closure of 45 Metro stations; and internet restrictions in and around Jantar Mantar. On 9 October, police reportedly raided activists’ and students’ homes and detained people. On 10 October, nearly 7,000 citizens, including lawyers, were reportedly detained in Delhi.
These measures raise grave questions of necessity and proportionality. The comparison with the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) is not a claim that the law was imposed in Delhi; it is a warning about the capital’s militarised climate and the apparent treatment of constitutional freedoms as expendable when citizens challenge those in power.
Force against protesters, journalists, lawyers and women
Reports from protest sites describe lawyers being manhandled, journalists detained while covering events, and students and young people stopped while travelling to Delhi. Women protesters and journalists have reported brutal and sexist treatment, including alleged sexual misconduct captured on camera. There are also reports of civilians carrying lathis alongside police, while questions have been raised about unidentified police personnel and alleged unequal restraint towards groups described by protesters as RSS-affiliated.
These allegations require prompt, independent and impartial investigation. Police and public officials are accountable to the law; peaceful protesters cannot be punished for dissent. Journalists must be free to report, and lawyers must be allowed to assist detainees and secure access to due process. The reported actions raise serious concerns under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution, protecting equality, fundamental freedoms and life and personal liberty.
Electoral accountability and the right to protest
Reports have alleged that approximately 13 crore names were excluded from electoral rolls across the country, and that Forms 6 and 7 were misused for unlawful inclusion or exclusion. The scale, legality and consequences of these allegations require transparent scrutiny. The demand for the CEC’s resignation is a political demand arising from concerns over electoral integrity; it cannot be met with repression. The Election Commission is a constitutional institution, not the personal preserve of its office-holders or the political executive.
We also oppose the reported denotification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site. Peaceful assembly is a constitutional right, not a privilege granted by government notification. Authorities may regulate gatherings only on lawful, necessary and proportionate grounds—not use permission requirements or restrictions on public spaces to extinguish dissent or dictate arbitrarily where citizens may challenge those in power.
Our demands
Citizens for Democracy, PUCL-Delhi and Jan Hastakshep demand:
- Protect peaceful protest. End intimidation, arbitrary detention and excessive force against those assembling, demonstrating, conducting an agitation or participating in an andolan.
- End blanket police-permission requirements. Protest arrangements must be governed by lawful, necessary and proportionate safeguards; the time and place of peaceful protest must not be left to arbitrary police discretion.
- Order an independent investigation. Investigate all allegations arising from the protests of 9–11 October 2026, including excessive force, manhandling, unlawful detention, gender-based violence and obstruction of journalists and lawyers. Take appropriate legal and departmental action against those found responsible.
- Compensate victims. Provide appropriate compensation to those injured or manhandled through unlawful or excessive use of force, without prejudice to further legal remedies.
- Ensure accountability for detentions and seized equipment. Disclose the legal basis for detentions, ensure access to lawyers and due process, and return phones, cameras and other equipment seized without lawful justification.
- Restore democratic public space. Keep Jantar Mantar and other public spaces accessible for peaceful protest, subject only to lawful and proportionate regulation.
A United Democratic Campaign is Urgent
We call on workers’ and farmers’ unions, student organisations, rights groups, lawyers, journalists, civil society organisations and concerned citizens to unite in a sustained campaign to defend civil liberties and democracy. This responsibility cannot be left to political parties alone.
People’s protest and agitation are not acts against democracy; they are democratic assertions against arbitrary power. Electoral concerns must be answered through transparency, accountability and lawful redress—not barricades, mass detentions, intimidation and violence.
Issued jointly by the Presidents and General Secretaries of:
Citizens for Democracy (CFD) | People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Delhi | Jan Hastakshep
