CPI(M) and CPI persist with protests demanding Kumar’s removal

The protests followed days of demonstrations and police detentions in New Delhi. The two communist parties have argued that the revision process threatens eligible citizens’ voting rights and that the Election Commission must be held accountable for alleged irregularities. The Election Commission and the BJP have rejected allegations of deliberate manipulation, maintaining that the revision is intended to remove duplicate and ineligible entries.

Opposition parties march towards the Supreme Court

Opposition leaders and supporters marched towards the Supreme Court in New Delhi on Monday, seeking judicial intervention over the electoral-roll controversy. The demonstration followed the detention of hundreds of protesters and opposition leaders during the preceding days.

The opposition’s demands included Kumar’s removal and a halt to the SIR exercise. Protesters argued that large-scale deletions from electoral rolls risk excluding eligible voters. The nationwide revision has reportedly removed more than 130 million names, although the opposition and election authorities dispute the significance and implications of the deletions.

The CPI(M) and CPI have placed the controversy within a broader defence of democratic rights, insisting that electoral rolls must be accurate, transparent and free from political interference. 

Further protests and police action

The CPI(M) highlighted demonstrations by students and young people, including activists of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), and condemned the police handling of protesters in New Delhi.

The party also reported that Delhi units of the INDIA opposition alliance held a demonstration outside the Chief Electoral Officer’s office at Kashmere Gate. Hundreds participated, demanding Kumar’s removal, the scrapping of the SIR exercise and the restoration of eligible voters’ names that had been deleted. Representatives of the alliance submitted a memorandum addressed to the President of India through the Chief Electoral Officer.

CPI(M) Delhi State Secretary Anurag Saxena said that no eligible citizen should be deprived of the right to vote. The party argued that complicated verification and notice procedures risk excluding legitimate voters, particularly people from minority communities and poorer neighbourhoods.

The CPI(M) also condemned police action against student activists and members of street-theatre groups who had used songs and performances to demand electoral accountability. The party said activists had been forcibly removed and injured, and alleged that some student demonstrators were attacked by RSS-affiliated individuals while police failed to intervene. 

CPI raises concerns over the treatment of journalists

The Communist Party of India also criticised the police response to the demonstrations. CPI Rajya Sabha MP P. Sandosh Kumar wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 12 October, raising concerns about the reported harassment, physical assault and detention of journalists covering the protests.

According to reports of the letter, Sandosh Kumar questioned the insistence that journalists possess Press Information Bureau accreditation to cover events and called for an investigation into alleged obstruction of independent media workers.

The issue became part of the wider controversy surrounding the protests. Reuters reported that nearly three dozen journalists had been detained during the recent demonstrations, prompting press-freedom organisations and media bodies to condemn the police action and demand accountability. 

Kerala Assembly adopts resolution seeking Kumar’s removal

Another significant development on 12 October came in Kerala, where the state Legislative Assembly passed a resolution calling for Kumar’s removal. The resolution raised concerns about alleged irregularities in the SIR process and questioned the Election Commission’s impartiality.

The resolution cited concerns about the deletion of eligible voters’ names, the use of software that could restrict the authority of electoral registration officers, and changes to Form 6, which is used for voter registration. It also called for greater transparency in the appointment of election commissioners.

Continuing the campaign

For the CPI(M) and CPI, the events of 12 October were part of a wider campaign to defend voting rights and demand accountability from the Election Commission. Both parties have supported the demand for Kumar’s removal and the suspension of the SIR process, while the CPI(M) has also called for the restoration of eligible voters’ names and condemned the detention of demonstrators and journalists.

The campaign is taking place alongside a broader opposition mobilisation involving the INDIA alliance, student organisations and civil-society groups. The parties’ central argument is that the integrity of electoral rolls and the right of eligible citizens to vote are fundamental democratic questions, not merely administrative matters.