Pune: Defiant in the face of heavy police presence, scores of youngsters returned to the city’s streets on Sunday, gathering at Good Luck Chowk in Deccan for a second consecutive day of protests.The protesters intensified their campaign against chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, demanding his resignation and alleging voter-list manipulation through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Pune police on Sunday detained more than 85 protesters during the agitation.At around 5pm, as demonstrators began assembling at Good Luck Chowk, police moved in to detain them amid sloganeering and resistance. Several protesters lay down on the road to resist detention but were forcibly removed by police personnel.CJP’s spokesperson, Dhara Moray, told TOI, “We have been carrying out the protest peacefully, and it is our constitutional right to protest. We have tried to seek police permission for the protest but have not got police support for it,” she said.Moray said protesters should not be painted as anti-national, and the CJP condemns all such attempts. She said her group members have neither acted aggressively in any protest nor damaged any public property.The action, however, mirrored Saturday’s crackdown at Lal Mahal Chowk near Shaniwarwada, where police detained 92 protesters for allegedly attempting to stage a rally without permission. Pune, Mumbai and Nashik are among the cities witnessing anti-ECI protests, echoing similar demonstrations centred on Jantar Mantar in Delhi.“We will not stop until Gyanesh Kumar resigns. Our protest will continue,” said an agitator. Another protester said, “The govt should not act like a dictatorship. The SIR should be scrapped.”Krushikesh Rawale, deputy commissioner of police (Zone I), said police intervened to prevent a possible accident after a gas-cylinder delivery vehicle was stuck in traffic congestion. “Blocking roads, inconveniencing citizens and disrupting vehicular movement are unacceptable,” Rawale said.He clarified that the protesters were detained, not arrested. “Around 85 protesters were taken to Shivajinagar police headquarters and released later,” he said.Rawale said the gathering caused congestion at Kalakar Katta, the open space opposite Good Luck Cafe, after messages circulated on social media urging protesters to assemble there.“A mental health awareness programme was already underway, and artists were present at the spot. The protesters occupied the space and began raising slogans,” he said.“The protesters had not obtained permission for the demonstration. There are hospitals and other important establishments in the vicinity. No one can take the law into their own hands,” Rawale added.Anti-SIR and anti-CEC protests have spread across several Indian cities, with police detaining hundreds of demonstrators nationwide. In New Delhi, authorities deployed around 35,000 police and paramilitary personnel and enforced extensive security measures from central Delhi to the city’s borders to prevent protesters from assembling at Jantar Mantar.
