Overview
- Protests entered a third consecutive day on Sunday as thousands rallied in New Delhi and Mumbai calling for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign and for the SIR exercise to be suspended.
- An Indian Express investigation and formal objections by commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi allege procedural and IT changes tied to the SIR, including restricted access to the ECINet portal for local electoral officers.
- Police in Delhi used large cordons and buses to detain protesters, with reports of hundreds held over the three days and several opposition leaders and student organisers, including Neha Bora and Saurabh Bhardwaj, briefly detained.
- Three women journalists have accused police of sexual harassment during the protests and Delhi Police said their complaints were referred to the Crime Branch for inquiry; legal petitions over SIR decisions are also headed to the Supreme Court imminently.
- Opposition parties and regional leaders have coordinated further nationwide protests on October 6 and planned a November rally while critics warn that SIR appeals and tribunal backlogs could leave many voters effectively disenfranchised for years.