Gyanesh It's Done Bro

"Gyanesh, It's Done Bro" is among the famous slogans of protesters against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of rigging the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) to favor the ruling government, BJP. The controversy intensified after reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on multiple occasions over decisions connected with the SIR, voter additions and deletions, and the Commission's technology systems. The Indian Express reported at least 14 instances of recorded objections over a period of about 10 months.

Recently, SIR in Bengal before the state assembly elections resulted in the deletion of around 63 lakh voters at one stage of the process. More than 90% of the appeals that had been disposed of reportedly resulted in voters being included in the voter list again. This has also raised doubts among critics about the impact of SIR on the BJP's victory in the state. Earlier, the Leader of the Opposition had also raised questions about such discrepancies in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Karnataka SIRs. Interestingly, all these SIRs happened just before the state elections.

Protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar have intensified across India, with demonstrations in Delhi and Mumbai and growing participation from youth groups, opposition parties, student organisations, and civil-society activists. The government's response towards protesters and BJP ministers presenting their views in support of the CEC also raises doubts among the masses. A new law made in 2023, giving legal protection to the CEC in relation to acts done in the discharge of official duty, has also raised concerns among vigilant citizens about the government's intention of protecting the CEC from public scrutiny even after his retirement.

The latest demonstrations on October 2 and 3 saw hundreds of people detained in Delhi, while thousands gathered in Mumbai. Protesters have accused the Election Commission of creating conditions in which legitimate voters could lose their right to vote and have repeatedly raised the slogan demanding that Gyanesh Kumar step down.

Earlier this year, on July 20–21, the nation witnessed police action against students demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, and this time also, police are trying to stop protesters from entering Jantar Mantar, where they planned to protest. Why is the government against protests and discussions? Why has the BJP IT cell started labeling protests as foreign-funded and anti-national? Why does Narendra Modi never speak on issues concerning the nation? Why does the Indian media just present the government's perspective and telecast news in line with the government's position instead of reporting neutrally or critically about the government?

I hope the government, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would take steps to ensure people's trust in the Election Commission of India by taking necessary steps, such as repealing the law giving legal protection to the CEC, changing the selection process for electing the CEC, reviewing the SIR, addressing protesters as fellow Indians rather than anti-government protesters, and finally asking Gyanesh Kumar to resign.