New Delhi, Oct 24: All India Students’ Association president Neha Bora on Saturday said she will not sign a peace bond before a special executive magistrate, a day after the Delhi High Court dismissed her plea challenging a police notice directing her to provide a personal bond of Rs 10,000 with one surety.
Questioning the rationale behind the notice, Bora asked, “Whose peace am I being asked to keep?” The police notice, issued on October 17 under Section 126 of the BNSS, asked the student leader to appear before a special executive magistrate (SEM) on October 19 and show cause as to why she should not execute a personal bond of Rs 10,000 with one surety “for keeping peace for a period of inquiry”.
Addressing the press at the CPI(ML) Liberation Parliamentary office here, Bora said demonstrating peacefully on the streets is a democratic right, and questioned how raising concerns against the government could be construed as a threat to peace.
“If we do not ask the government any questions, whose peace are we keeping?” she asked, stressing that the right to question those in power and express dissent is fundamental to a democracy.
Bora asserted that the fight against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, regardless of the direction it takes, must not come at the cost of labelling the right to dissent as a threat to peace.
The notice was issued on October 17, a day after Delhi Police detained Bora as she joined the ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march in the capital.
The demonstration was part of the protests demanding Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Cong seeks probe into voter lists; halt to SIR
The Congress on Saturday demanded an impartial investigation into the country’s voter lists and a halt to the SIR process after errors appeared in the voter list for the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council election.
It also said that the Election Commission (EC) cannot blame the software for a “premeditated conspiracy orchestrated to help the BJP,” and this is unacceptable because the integrity of voter lists is being put at the mercy of the software.
The Congress has asserted that the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally here against “vote chori” will send a strong message that “we are united” in protecting democracy and driving the “vote chors” out of power.
BJP slams Rahul over rally against ‘vote chori’
The BJP on Saturday lashed out at the Congress over INDIA bloc’s upcoming rally in Delhi, alleging that Rahul Gandhi is “adamant” on holding the event on November 1 to rub salt on the wounds of the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad claimed many of the INDIA bloc constituents are not convinced with the Congress’ plan to hold the rally on November 1 and wants the programme to be rescheduled. (PTI)