At around 2 pm on October 2, around one hundred students from the All India Students’ Association made an attempt to reach Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The protestors were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls.
As they approached, they chanted, “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod!”, vote thief, leave your seat.
Delhi Police personnel intercepted the group and began to chase protestors in an attempt to detain them. The protestors dodged the police. “Dilli Police wardi kholo, RSS ka knicker pehno!” they chanted as they ran. Delhi police take off your clothes, put on RSS shorts.
Among the students was Sahil, a 17-year-old first-year student of sociology from Hindu College. “I was part of the group that broke through two sets of barricades to reach Jantar Mantar,” said Sahil, who asked to be referred to by a pseudonym. “We were detained near the third one.”
In the throes of the protest, Sahil said, he was beaten by the police and suffered some bruises. The police herded Sahil and protestors onto a bus, and drove them in circles for a few hours, before finally releasing them close to Delhi’s border with Haryana. “My hands were shaking throughout...