Indian Kukri Party Pledges to Continue Protests Against Election Commission Chief

New Delhi, Oct 10 (KUNA) -- The Aam Aadmi Party, which is leading the youth-led movement in the Indian capital, pledged on Saturday to continue its protests until Election Commission Chief Jarnail Singh resigns. At a press conference held after a day marked by clashes between protesters heading to the protest site at Jantar Mantar and security forces, the party’s national coordinator, Agnimitra Paul, said the protests would continue on Sunday at the same location. Paul called for the protests to persist after Delhi Police detained party leaders, including Abhishek Dube, Ashutosh Rana, and Suraj Das, upon their arrival in New Delhi from Mumbai, and demanded that the police reveal the whereabouts of the detained leaders. The capital witnessed the detention of several political figures, including former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Police also detained hundreds of lawyers, journalists, student organization leaders, and thousands of young people who had come out in support of the protests. The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Election Commission Chief Jarnail Singh over his alleged role in conducting a targeted, intensive revision of the country’s voter rolls, a process that led to the deletion of millions of eligible voters’ names. Indian authorities had suspended metro, rail, and bus services in the capital, turning New Delhi into a virtual fortress, and cut internet access within a four-kilometer radius around Jantar Mantar. The opposition alliance INDIA announced it would organize a protest on Monday as demonstrations spread to various Indian cities. (End) A.T.K./R.J.