The human rights group, Citizens for Democracy (CFD), has called for peaceful demonstrations demanding accountability from the Election Commission of India (ECI) over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls, while urging the Delhi Police and the administration to ensure that protesters can exercise their democratic rights without intimidation.
In a statement, titled “Defend the Right to Vote! Defend the Right to Protest! Defend Democracy!”, CFD expressed solidarity with citizens, students, civil society organisations, Left parties, opposition parties and other democratic groups participating in protests over the integrity of electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
“The issue before the country is much larger than the resignation of one office-holder. It concerns the integrity of our electoral rolls and, therefore, the fundamental democratic right of every citizen to have their name on the voters’ list and to cast their vote freely,” the statement said.
Referring to investigations published by The Indian Express, CFD said questions had been raised about decision-making within the Election Commission. According to the statement, two Election Commissioners were reported to have recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over ten months regarding decisions related to electoral rolls and the SIR exercise.
The statement also cited reports that more than 13 crore names had been excluded from draft electoral rolls across 30 States and Union Territories.
CFD argued that the Election Commission’s subsequent decision to conduct a special drive to identify and enrol voters who may have been left out underscored the need for transparency and corrective action.
“The need for corrective action itself demands transparency about how such large-scale exclusions occurred,” it said.
The organisation also referred to reports from Karnataka concerning bulk applications seeking the deletion of voters’ names, including cases in which FIRs had reportedly been registered and allegations involving forged documents and false claims were under investigation.
The statement expressed concern over the handling of demonstrations in Delhi and other places, alleging that protests in the national capital had increasingly been met with barricading, detentions, restrictions and the deployment of heavily equipped security personnel.
CFD said hundreds of protesters had reportedly been detained at Jantar Mantar and elsewhere in central Delhi, while police and paramilitary personnel were deployed to prevent demonstrations and marches. It also raised concerns about reported surveillance of people associated with earlier protests.
The organisation further cited complaints alleging inappropriate and abusive conduct by Delhi Police personnel towards protesters and journalists, including allegations of sexual harassment involving three women journalists during the October 3 protests. According to the statement, the complaints had been referred to the Crime Branch for investigation.
Questioning the deployment of forces equipped for serious security and border-related duties for crowd control in the capital, CFD asked: “Is the citizen now being treated as a threat to the State?”
With demonstrations planned for October 10, CFD warned against actions that could escalate tensions between protesters and the authorities.
“The State must not manufacture confrontation by treating peaceful protesters as potential criminals,” the statement said, adding that the principles of Satyagraha involved non-violence and disciplined civil disobedience rather than submission to unjust restrictions.
The organisation also called for an independent examination of allegations of excessive police force during previous protests. It raised concerns over reports that unauthorised persons and alleged criminal elements might have entered protest areas, potentially creating conditions for confrontation.
CFD called for any alleged collusion between such elements and law-enforcement agencies to be investigated. It urged the Delhi Police to exercise restraint, act professionally and remain accountable, while protecting women protesters and journalists and ensuring that any use of force was lawful and proportionate.
CFD maintained that the Election Commission was an independent constitutional institution responsible for protecting citizens’ democratic rights and should publicly address concerns about electoral roll revisions.
The organisation posed several questions to the Commission, including how such a large number of names had disappeared from draft electoral rolls, why two Election Commissioners had reportedly recorded objections, what safeguards had been followed before names were excluded, and what independent mechanism would restore the names of eligible voters wrongly left out.
It also sought assurances that the final electoral rolls would be complete, transparent and trustworthy.
“A democracy cannot ask citizens simply to trust an electoral process. It must give them reason to trust it,” the statement said.
Appeal for peaceful demonstrations
CFD called upon the Union Government, the Election Commission, the Delhi administration and the Delhi Police to allow the October 10 demonstrations to proceed peacefully and without intimidation.
It also appealed to democratic organisations and political groups to remain united in their demand for transparency and accountability while adhering to non-violence and civil disobedience.
Concluding the statement, CFD said the right to vote and the right to protest were inseparable elements of democracy.
“The ballot box and the street are both spaces of democracy,” it said, warning that if citizens could neither be assured that their names would remain on electoral rolls nor peacefully question those responsible, the resulting crisis would extend beyond elections to democracy itself.
The statement was signed by Shashi Shekhar Prasad Singh and Jyotsna Roy on behalf of Citizens for Democracy.
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