Sandosh Kumar writes to PM Modi, demands reopening of Jantar Mantar for peaceful protests, calls situation 'a State of Emergency'
New Delhi, October 9 (UNI) CPI leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar on Friday has reached out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding the immediate reopening of Jantar Mantar for 'peaceful' protests and an end to the detention of activists, alleging that the government is using police force, barricades and restrictions to suppress demonstrations over alleged electoral irregularities.
Describing the situation as "a state of emergency", Kumar accused the government of systematically denying citizens their fundamental right to peaceful protest and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral wrongdoing. "I am compelled to write this letter because every method of reaching out to your insensitive government has been met with barricades and lathis," Kumar said in his strongly worded letter dated October 9, alleging that public anger over what the opposition calls "vote-chori" is mounting. Mentioning that more than 47,000 security personnel deployed in Central Delhi alone to prevent protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site, he alleged that repeated attempts by elected representatives, students, youth and activists to assemble peacefully had been met with barricades, police manhandling, arrests and house arrests. "Even women MPs and activists have not been spared," he said, accusing the government of choosing repression over dialogue.
The CPI leader alleged that the crackdown had escalated beyond Delhi, claiming that activists were being arrested and detained at locations more than 1,000 kilometres away from the national capital and that trains bound for Delhi were being cancelled amid the restrictions. "I wish to make it categorically clear that turning Delhi into a military cantonment will not deter us. We will raise our voice," Kumar wrote. "No amount of barricading, intimidation or repression can take away our fundamental right to protest," he added. Kumar said the proposed demonstration is intended to highlight what he described as the "complete collapse of India's electoral democracy" and demand accountability from the Election Commission, including the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Invoking Article 19 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to assemble peacefully and without arms, he said citizens and elected representatives could not be prevented from exercising their democratic rights.
"Our demand is very simple: we want to peacefully protest against our collective grievances over the complete collapse of India's electoral democracy and demand the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar," he said. Kumar also referred to alleged objections raised by election commissioners and observations made by the Supreme Court in support of his criticism of the Chief Election Commissioner.
Accusing the government of turning the protest restrictions into a source of hardship for ordinary citizens, Kumar said the denial of access to designated protest venues is contributing to traffic congestion, metro station closures and increased surveillance. "It is your government's inability to take accountability that is turning this situation into a misery for ordinary citizens," he wrote. "The people of India should not have to bear the consequences of a government that refuses to listen to its citizens," he added. Urging the Prime Minister to intervene immediately, Kumar demanded that Jantar Mantar be reopened, access to metro stations restored and the detention of activists stopped.
"I strongly urge you to open Jantar Mantar immediately, open metro stations, stop detaining activists exercising their democratic rights and learn to listen," he said. "Do not make us protest just to secure the right to a protest site," Kumar added, asserting that the right to peaceful assembly is a constitutional guarantee and not a privilege that the government could grant or withdraw at its discretion. "The right to peaceful assembly is a constitutional guarantee, not a privilege to be granted or withdrawn at the government's discretion," he said. Kumar urged Modi and his government to uphold constitutional protections and allow citizens to express their grievances peacefully, warning that the refusal to engage with protesters was deepening public anger.
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