New Delhi, Oct 6: Several lawmakers of the INDIA bloc marched towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday, against alleged irregularities in poll body decisions, regarding the Special Intensive Revision exercise and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

From Congress to Trinamool Congress to Samajwadi Party to other allies of INDIA bloc, all participated in the mega demonstration against the CEC. Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Virendra Singh said that they joined the protest at the behest of party president Akhilesh Yadav.

“I do not know about the INDI Alliance, but our national president has called upon all MPs to reach Makar Dwar. We are all party workers, we have come here on the instructions of our national president,” Singh said.

All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee launched a sharp attack on the CEC during the protest.

Speaking on the INDIA bloc’s protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Banerjee said, “That vote thief Gyanesh should resign…”

Congress MP Imran Masood also demanded resignation of the CEC, alleging that Gyanesh Kumar had undermined the credibility of the Election Commission as an independent institution.

Speaking to media, Masood said, “The CEC should resign. Gyanesh Kumar has broken the trust that the Election Commission had earned as an independent and impartial institution in the country. When we demand Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, the BJP starts raising questions.”

Reacting to the decision of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) to skip the INDIA bloc’s protest against the CEC, Masood said that only those standing with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would be visible in the ongoing political fight.

“Those who are walking hand in hand with Rahul Gandhi will be the ones seen in this fight. The rest will either be swept away in the storm or will remain on the other side and be swept away,” Masood said.

Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat said that INDIA bloc parties were protesting against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar.

The protest has brought the Opposition’s concerns over the electoral revision exercise and the functioning of the Election Commission into political focus. However, the participation of some Opposition parties highlighted differences over the extent of coordination among INDIA bloc constituents.

Patna, Oct 5: A protest by candidates in Patna turned tense on Monday as aspirants opposed the cancellation of the main examination for the recruitment of 1,799 Bihar Police Sub-Inspectors.

A large number of candidates marched from Gandhi Maidan towards JP Golambar, where police had erected barricades to stop them from proceeding further.

A confrontation subsequently broke out between the protesters and the police, with reports of a lathi-charge.

After being stopped near JP Golambar, the protesters sat on the road and demanded a meeting with the Chief Minister.

Police officials appealed to the candidates to maintain peace and suggested that they submit their demands through a delegation.

They asked the protesters to nominate a five-member delegation for discussions.

However, the candidates remained firm in their demand for a direct meeting with the Chief Minister.

The situation became tense as the protesters and police personnel confronted each other.

According to reports, police used batons to disperse the protesters and bring the situation under control.

Videos showing male and female candidates confronting police personnel have also surfaced.

The complete context and sequence of events in the individual videos could not be independently verified.

A separate video circulating from the protest shows Masaurhi DSP Raghav Dayal at the demonstration.

Claims have emerged that the officer was holding a baton and attempting to push protesters back during the police action.

However, the footage alone does not establish the full circumstances or sequence of events surrounding his actions.

Local reports have confirmed the presence of DSP Raghav Dayal at the protest site, where police used batons during the confrontation.

The candidates were protesting against the cancellation of the main examination for the recruitment of 1,799 Sub-Inspectors and demanding clarity on the recruitment process.

The situation remained tense as the protesters continued to press their demands and sought direct intervention from the Chief Minister.

New Delhi, Oct 5: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Delhi Police and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to place their responses on record within four weeks in its suo motu proceedings concerning recent rape and sexual assault incidents in Delhi-NCR, orally observing that it was important to prevent crimes rather than taking follow-up action.

A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran stressed the need for effective preventive measures and continuous monitoring of vulnerable public spaces to ensure the safety of women and children.

The apex court orally remarked that merely putting measures on paper would not be sufficient and said that authorities must take concrete action to prevent crimes.

“We have to work together. We must ensure that every woman in Delhi-NCR should feel safe even at 11 p.m. whether travelling on the roads or the metro,” the Justice Pardiwala-led Bench observed.

It further said that the focus should be on preventing crime rather than merely acting after an offence has taken place.

“What is important is to prevent a crime, not what you do after a crime is committed,” the top court said, stressing that the police must create fear among “goons and anti-social elements” who are prone to committing such crimes.

The Supreme Court also questioned the Delhi Police on the effectiveness of CCTV surveillance in the absence of continuous monitoring and asked whether there was a mechanism for continuous monitoring of vulnerable areas.

It also questioned the absence of a dedicated “war room” for monitoring and responding to incidents, asking how crime could be prevented without such a mechanism.

“You have to create fear in the mind of a person who is ready to commit a crime,” the bench observed, adding that the police were required to instil the fear that committing such offences would have severe consequences.

The proceedings arise from the Supreme Court’s suo motu cognisance of a series of disturbing reports of rape and sexual assault across Delhi-NCR.

In its order passed on September 28, the apex court had expressed serious concern over the safety of public spaces, including parks, roads, buses, metro stations, subways and footbridges, observing that such places could not be allowed to become high-risk zones due to inadequate lighting, poor surveillance, or lax patrolling.

The bench had also sought a comprehensive status report on the safety arrangements in public places, the use of the National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO), the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO), the Mission Shakti programme, emergency response systems, women’s helplines, CCTV coverage, women help desks and One Stop Centres.

It had directed the Delhi Police to constitute dedicated teams for each police district to identify vulnerable locations and prepare district-wise vulnerability maps. It had further ordered audits of lighting and CCTV infrastructure and intensified patrolling in identified vulnerable areas.

The proceedings came against the backdrop of several reported sexual offences, including the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park and the alleged sexual assault of a minor inside a moving sleeper bus travelling from Greater Noida to Delhi. The apex court had observed that the latter incident raised painful parallels with the 2012 Nirbhaya case.

The matter is now tentatively listed for further hearing on November 16.