NEW DELHI, 25 Sep: Upping the ante over the SIR row, the Congress on Friday staged protests by attempting to march towards state election commission offices in various parts of the country, demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's immediate arrest, removal from office, and an independent review of all decisions and electoral roll changes made under him.

The opposition party also accused the Election Commission of carrying out an "unprecedented attack" on voter equality by allegedly creating a specific 'Mark VIP' feature in the BLO application and urged Kumar to either turn "approver" or face trial.

Several senior leaders, including party's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, and workers were detained as police used barricades to stop them from marching towards the state election commission offices in various state capitals.

The protests came in the wake of The Indian Express report that questions were repeatedly raised on issues related to the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls within the three-member Election Commission (EC) by two of the three commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

The national rollout of SIR has been under the supervision of all three commissioners. But Sandhu and Joshi have formally objected, on record, at least 14 times over the last 10 months to decisions taken and orders issued, they say, without their knowledge, according to the report in the English daily.

In Delhi, Congress leaders and workers staged a protest against Kumar, demanding his resignation and an independent audit of SIR of electoral rolls in the city.

Several party workers gathered at the Delhi Congress office on Rouse Avenue and marched towards the BJP headquarters on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg before proceeding to the Election Commission office at Nirvachan Sadan.

Also, wearing masks bearing Kumar's face and with their hands bound in chains, Indian Youth Congress workers in Delhi protested against the EC, demanding Kumar's resignation.

Addressing a press conference here, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said all decisions taken by Kumar, including SIR are "null and void."

"We are sure the Supreme Court is watching what is happening and will take the right steps at the right time," he said.

"We want to say to Gyanesh Kumar: it's done bro. Heed Rahul Gandhi's advice - resign and turn approver," Khera said, adding that if Kumar does not do so, he should be ready to face trial.

The protesters raised slogans and displayed posters and banners demanding accountability from Kumar as they marched from the IYC office on Raisina Road towards the EC headquarters.

In Guwahati, Assam Congress president Gogoi and several senior party leaders were detained while trying to break through police barricades during a protest demanding the removal of Kumar.

Police had put up barricades near Rajiv Bhavan, which the protesting leaders, including Gogoi, attempted to cross, following which they were detained.

Congress workers clashed with police in Lucknow after they were stopped from marching towards the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

The protesters, led by Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai, state in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam and Congress Legislature Party leader Aaradhan Misra, were stopped by police amid heavy rain.

Rai alleged that Kumar had played a role in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's victory in Varanasi and demanded that the election be cancelled.

In Jammu, scores of Congress workers and leaders were detained.

Congress MP and AICC general secretary Syed Naseer Hussain led the protest, with several senior party leaders, including former ministers and former legislators, participating in the demonstration.

A heavy contingent of police and paramilitary personnel was deployed around the office to prevent the protesters from proceeding. The protesters had brief scuffles with security personnel before several of them were detained, including the top leaders and taken away in buses.

Punjab Congress, led by state unit chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, also staged a protest in Chandigarh, demanding the dismissal and arrest of Kumar, with the police using water cannon on protesters as they tried to march towards the EC office to gherao it.

In Patna, Congress workers staged a march to the poll panel's office in the city, demanding the resignation of Kumar. Police used water cannons to prevent the protesters from reaching the poll panel office.

During the around half-kilometre march, party workers raised slogans against Kumar, demanding his resignation and claiming that the EC is "compromised."

Odisha Congress attempted to gherao the office of the chief electoral officer (CEO) in Bhubaneswar. Several Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee leaders and workers, led by state president Bhakta Charan Das, held a protest march from the additional district magistrate's office to the CEO's office, carrying posters and banners. Police detained several Congress leaders and workers after they were stopped from proceeding towards the CEO's office.

Haryana Congress also protested and police used water cannons against the protesters to prevent the gherao of office of the chief electoral officer.

Himachal Pradesh Congress held a protest outside the EC office in Shimla, demanding immediate removal of Kumar and his arrest.

Congress workers burnt an effigy of Kumar in Shillong, demanding his removal and arrest.

As part of the party's offensive over the issue, all district Congress committees will organise similar massive protest marches to their respective district collectorates on 28 September.

APCC stages dharna

In Itanagar, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Friday staged a peaceful dharna near the chief electoral officer's office at the Nirvachan Bhavan over what the party described as alleged irregularities in the electoral process, including the alleged illegal addition and deletion of voters, and the broader issue of "vote chori."

The protestors demanded complete transparency, accountability and an independent investigation into the decisions and processes surrounding the electoral rolls and the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise.

The APCC alleged that the manner in which electoral rolls have been revised has raised serious questions regarding the protection of the constitutional right to vote. The party asserted that any unauthorised manipulation, wrongful deletion or illegal inclusion of voters can undermine public confidence in the democratic electoral process.

The APCC said that the Election Commission of India, as a constitutional institution entrusted with conducting free and fair elections, must maintain the highest standards of transparency and institutional accountability.

The APCC further demanded immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and called for appropriate criminal proceedings and an independent investigation into the allegations raised against the functioning and decision-making of the Election Commission.

The party demanded that the investigation establish whether any decisions were taken under external directions or influence and, if so, identify the source of such directions.

It also demanded that all upcoming elections be kept on hold until the concerns surrounding the electoral rolls are independently examined, secure all records and files under judicial custody, and repeal and replace the 2023 law concerning appointment of election commissioners.

The APCC reiterated that the right to vote is a fundamental component of representative democracy, and that every eligible citizen must be assured that his or her name will not be arbitrarily deleted from the electoral roll, and that no ineligible person will be unlawfully added. (With PTI input)