Guwahati: Tension prevailed at the Chachal protest site here on Saturday as nearly 300 people gathered for a satyagraha demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the withdrawal of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.The protest was organised by political parties, civil society groups and student and youth organisations in solidarity with a student-led protest in New Delhi. Police stopped the protesters from taking out a procession from the site.The protest witnessed strong criticism of the BJP-led govt, with speakers accusing it of undermining democratic institutions and creating an “undeclared emergency-like situation” in the country. A large contingent of security personnel was deployed at the site from the morning to prevent any escalation.The meeting, conducted by youth activists Subrat Talukdar and Krishna Gogoi, called for the satyagraha to continue until the CEC resigns.Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi, Congress leaders Ripun Bora and Meera Borthakur, CPI(ML) Liberation state general secretary Bibek Das, writer Junu Bora, academic Prof. Apurba Kumar Baruah, Assam Nagrik Sanmilan’s Paresh Malakar, and youth leaders — Utpala Das, Ananya Saikia, Bidisha Barman, Birinchi Bora — and representatives of student and youth organisations addressed the gathering.“The way the govt is using independent democratic institutions to deprive citizens of their rights, including their voting rights, has created a grave crisis for the entire democratic system. The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy and our greatest strength,” Lurinjyoti said.Intellectual Hiren Gohain, who could not attend the programme due to illness, addressed the protesters on the phone.In a media release, the organisers alleged that the Election Commission, particularly CEC Kumar, had facilitated electoral victories for BJP through various manipulations. They cited the SIR exercise as an example, claiming it had curtailed the voting rights of 13 crore citizens.“It has already been proven how the Election Commission, especially chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, has been helping BJP win elections through various manipulations. A glaring example of this is the truncation of the voting rights of 13 crore citizens through the SIR. If these manipulations continue, BJP will keep winning elections forever,” the organisers said.
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