The Karnataka Police on Monday detained at least 100 persons who were marching towards the Election Commission office in Bengaluru to protest the detention and alleged assault of protesters in Delhi during demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, The Hindu reported.
The Delhi Police detained more than 7,000 persons on Saturday during a protest demanding Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the conduct of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls. Some protesters also alleged that they were assaulted by the police.
The Delhi Police operates under the Union home ministry, while the Karnataka Police reports to the state government led by the Congress.
On Tuesday, the Karnataka Police said that the protesters had assembled near KR Circle without permission and refused to move to Freedom Park, which has been designated as a protest site.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Akshay M Hakay told The Hindu that this was “contrary to the High Court’s directions of protesting at designated places”.
Hakay claimed that when the protesters did not comply with the directions to relocate to Freedom Park, they were taken into preventive custody.
However, the protesters have objected to Freedom Park being designated as the sole venue for peaceful demonstrations, activist Geeta Menon told Scroll.
Menon, who was detained during Monday’s protest, said that she had reached the protest site at...