Curbs on protests mark India’s second freedom movement: Dipankar Bhattacharya

CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya on Friday (October 16, 2026) called for an intensified struggle against alleged voter fraud and described curbs on the right to protest as "nothing short of India's second freedom movement".

In a post on X, Mr. Bhattacharya said people took to the streets to defend their right to vote against what he called “vote chori” and were then forced to fight for their right to protest.

CJP Tiranga protest LIVE - October 16, 2026

“They started vote chori. We came out to defend our right to vote. They started curbing our right to protest. We came out to fight for our right to protest,” he said.

Referring to the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site, Mr. Bhattacharya said people had responded by taking to the streets carrying the national flag. "They denotified Jantar Mantar. We came out with the tricolour in hand. Now they are detaining young activists for waving the tricolour," he said.

Calling on people to join the movement, the CPI(ML) Liberation leader said, “There’s no pause, no fatigue, no going back,” and ended his post with the slogan, “Freedom from fascism!”

The remarks come amid protests by opposition parties and activists against alleged voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and restrictions on demonstrations.

The Centre’s decision to withdraw Jantar Mantar’s designated protest-site status has fuelled criticism, with Opposition leaders questioning the curbs on peaceful dissent.

The Delhi Police named three new spots for demonstrations – Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground, East Delhi, after a series of agitations over recent months left New Delhi district, the government’s administrative nerve centre, paralysed.

While Ramlila Ground in Central District is four kilometres from the current site, the CBD Ground in East District is 12 to 13 kilometres away, and Burari Ground in North District is nearly 21 kilometres away.