Police Detain Over 350 Demonstrators Following Rail Protest Demanding Election Chief Arrest

KANCHIPURAM —

Police detained over 350 demonstrators on Wednesday following a rail roko protest near the old railway station in Kanchipuram demanding the arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The demonstration, organised by the Jananayaka Meetpu Kuzhu, caused tension in the area for about an hour. Protesters alleged that the CEC acted in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by disqualifying 13 crore voters.

Heavy deployments of local police and Railway Protection Force personnel were positioned in the area prior to the march. More than 350 participants walked in a rally from near Hotel Tamil Nadu toward the East Railway Station. A scuffle ensued when officers attempted to block their advance. Despite police barricades, over 50 demonstrators breached the perimeter and sat on the railway tracks, raising slogans against the Prime Minister and the Election Commission while reiterating demands for the CEC’s arrest.

Authorities subsequently detained all participating protesters and housed them temporarily in a private marriage hall. The agitation drew members from several political outfits and organisations, including the Makkal Mandram, the Communist Party of India, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, and independent social activists.

The protest follows mounting political friction in the state over the conduct of the poll panel. On October 17, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Parliamentary Party adopted a resolution demanding the immediate removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and an inquiry into his conduct. The DMK accused the poll chief of spearheading the systematic disenfranchisement of legitimate voters through the Special Intensive Revision exercise.

During that meeting at party headquarters Anna Arivalayam, led by DMK President and former Chief Minister MK Stalin, the party resolved to petition the President of India. Their demands include the complete scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision in favour of pre-revision electoral rolls, and the discontinuation of Electronic Voting Machines in exchange for traditional paper ballots to restore public faith in elections.