Actor and civic advocate Prakash Raj told reporters that demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls would continue across the country, regardless of any pressure to halt them.
The remarks followed his attendance at a gathering held at Manaveeyam Veedhi on Friday, where participants had assembled to voice opposition to Chief Election Commissioner Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Police intervened before the event got under way after it emerged that organisers had not obtained the necessary permits for sound equipment. A brief physical confrontation occurred before officers on the scene permitted the gathering to proceed.
Speaking to the assembled crowd, Raj invoked the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar, and Bhagat Singh as sources of inspiration for young people to sustain nonviolent protest. He expressed his personal belief that a sustained, nationwide commitment to peaceful demonstration would lay bare what he characterised as a style of governance that cannot endure.
Challenging the Chief Election Commissioner over curbs placed on demonstrations, Raj contended that the detentions being carried out were unlawful and that the act of blocking protesters itself pointed to an underlying problem. He also asserted that citizens, farming communities, labour unions, and student bodies retained the right to raise concerns and would continue gathering peacefully in public spaces until those restrictions were lifted.
When reporters raised the topic of police involvement in Kerala, Raj put forward a question about whether citizens are required to obtain authorisation before gathering to demonstrate peacefully. Peaceful gatherings by young people and members of the public seeking accountability cannot be treated as criminal acts, he argued, going on to question what the term "protest" actually means.
Whether such conduct constitutes an offence under the laws of the jurisdiction remains an open question. Demonstrators drawn from across the national population, including younger generations, gathered to voice their concerns through non-violent means. Whether the individuals in question meet the legal or internationally recognised definition of a terrorist organisation also remains a matter of ongoing debate.
Raj contended that the line of questioning posed to him was one his interlocutor lacked the capacity to address, framing the exchange as a problem of his interlocutor's making. He stated that he believed police officers would at some point choose not to follow directives from above, adding that he anticipated officers telling Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah they were not at their disposal.
He added that those on both sides of the matter — the people making the appeals and those in uniform responding to them — share the same standing as members of society. He also put those gathered in the streets on notice that international human rights bodies stood ready to act if any steps were taken against them.
Raj indicated that farming communities had declared their intention to join the demonstration in solidarity with the youth, with the expectation that turnout would surpass what gathered at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, adding only, "Let us see." He went on to say that the planned demonstration would draw a larger turnout and carry more force than the gatherings held at Jantar Mantar.
