‘Living ghosts’ protest: IYC workers demand Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation

• IYC workers dressed as ‘living ghosts’ staged a protest in Delhi demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged electoral roll irregularities.

• Led by Uday Bhanu Chib, protesters attempted to march towards Jantar Mantar but were stopped by police; some were detained, the IYC said.

• The youth wing also alleged that living voters had been removed from electoral rolls and accused the BJP of influencing the exercise.

Wearing black robes and white masks, with skulls hanging around their necks, Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers dressed as ‘living ghosts’ staged a protest against the Election Commission on Friday, 2 October, demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.

The Congress youth wing workers attempted to march from the IYC office on Raisina Road towards Jantar Mantar, raising slogans and carrying posters and banners demanding accountability from Kumar. IYC workers said police stopped them outside their office.

Led by IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib, the protesters included some wearing masks bearing the faces of Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They described themselves as ‘living ghosts’ who, they alleged, had been removed from the electoral rolls despite being alive.

The demonstration was part of the Congress youth wing’s continuing protests against the Election Commission, with workers raising slogans including 'CEC, resign', 'Election Commission, answer us' and 'Save Democracy'.

"We are protesting because the Election Commission is responsible for protecting the sanctity of every vote. When questions are being raised within the Commission itself over decisions concerning electoral rolls, the country deserves answers and accountability," Chib said.

"When questions are being raised over the Election Commission’s impartiality, the CEC will have to resign from his post," he said, according to an IYC statement.

Chib said the Election Commission was a constitutional institution and not a private organisation belonging to any government or political party, and called for its credibility and impartiality to be protected. "Young people cannot remain silent when there are questions over the electoral process," he said.

The IYC had announced plans to gherao the Election Commission’s office as part of the demonstration. Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed along the route, with barricades erected and detention buses stationed near the IYC office on Raisina Road. The IYC said some protesters were detained after attempting to proceed towards the Election Commission office.

The protest was attended by Delhi Youth Congress president Akshay Lakra, Haryana Youth Congress president Nishit Kataria, IYC national general secretaries Hari Krishna, Khushboo Sharma and Mitendra Darshan Singh, and national secretaries Satyawan Gehlot, Parminder Singh Pummy and Hevaran Kansana, among others.

In a post on X, the IYC alleged that Kumar was responsible for the removal of names of living voters from electoral rolls and claimed the exercise was being carried out at the behest of the BJP. It demanded Kumar’s arrest and accused him of being part of a "vote theft" system.

The youth wing said it would continue with protests and public awareness campaigns demanding greater transparency and accountability in the electoral process.

In a separate demonstration, IYC workers also stopped DTC buses at DDU Marg near the BJP headquarters and on Janpath Road near Hotel Le Meridien, climbed onto the buses and raised slogans demanding Kumar’s resignation, the youth wing said.

With PTI inputs