Leaders of the Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) outlined plans to broaden their demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to other parts of the country, speaking at a press conference held at the Press Club of India on Sunday, shortly after their release from custody, while pledging to continue the pressure.
Pointing to what they described as travel disruptions, station closures, and cancelled trains over the preceding three days, the group argued that events during that period had brought renewed attention to the situation.
Saurav Das of CJP contended that the protest movement directed at the Election Commission had been recast by the government as a standoff with state authority. According to Das, those who took part in the protests were held without prior notification, kept from consulting legal counsel, and had their mobile devices confiscated.
Ranka, who serves as co-convener, stated that the demonstration would continue unless Gyanesh stepped down from his position. Ranka also voiced concern that their devices might have been subject to interference, citing possibilities such as cloning and unauthorised access. The allegation put forward was that Delhi Police had tampered with evidence and examined the contents of the phones in question.
Das invoked the Varanasi constituency contest of 2024, in which vote tallies during the Lok Sabha count briefly placed Ajay Rai of the Congress party ahead of Narendra Modi before the prime minister secured the parliamentary seat.
Das contended that the security contingent drew personnel airlifted from Kashmir, West Bengal, and Naxal-affected areas — alongside border forces — and that their presence was placing constraints not only on those taking part in the protests but also on local residents who had no connection to the agitation.
Ranka contended that the manner in which fellow detainee Dipke was notified of his grandmother's passing — while both men remained in custody — reflected a lack of care on the part of those responsible for delivering the news. A video statement issued by Delhi Police pushed back against the allegations.
Ranka also directed gratitude toward four opposition figures who took part in the demonstrations — Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Manik Sarkar, and Pinarayi Vijayan, each a former chief minister.
Speaking to groups drawn from across the political spectrum, Das argued that resistance to the Summary Revision of electoral rolls was not the preserve of any particular faction, stating that safeguarding the right to vote transcended the interests of any single party.
Ghosh, who leads the Students' Federation of India (SFI), indicated that demonstrators planned to press on with their actions even as restrictions remained in place. As the press conference drew to a close, officers detained several people on the pavement in front of the Press Club, where members of the National Students' Union of India and the Indian Youth Congress had assembled with placards calling on the Chief Election Commissioner to resign.
