Delhi Police detained more than 100 protesters in central Delhi on Friday, October 23, as a march against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was stopped before it could reach the Election Commission of India's headquarters on Ashoka Road. Farmers, students, trade unionists and Left leaders, including CPI(M)'s Brinda Karat, joined the march, demanding that SIR be halted and that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign.
The protest is part of a wider campaign that organisers say will run in 88 cities across 18 states until November 1, making the voter-roll exercise one of the most contested political issues of the season.
What happened at the march
The march was called by the Delhi coordination committee of People Against SIR, a citizens' collective, with backing from the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM). It began near Gole Dak Khana, at the junction of Kalibari Marg and Bhai Vir Singh Marg, only a few hundred metres from the poll body's office.
Police had put up barricades near Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and stopped the procession there. Large numbers of Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed across the area. After being halted, many protesters sat on the road and held what organisers called a "People's Parliament" before police began detaining them.
Slogans such as "Gyanesh Kumar, resign", "Halt SIR" and "Won't tolerate vote theft" echoed through the area. Delhi Traffic Police had announced diversions between 1 pm and 5 pm and asked commuters to avoid unnecessary travel near Connaught Place, Parliament Street and Jantar Mantar.
Who joined and what they said
Activists from Delhi, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh took part, along with groups such as the Students' Federation of India (SFI), Krantikari Yuva Sangathan, the All India Democratic Women's Association and the All India Democratic Students' Organisation.
Bharatiya Kisan Union national general secretary Yudhvir Singh said the demand was clear: "We demand that SIR should be rolled back, Gyanesh Kumar should resign."
Brinda Karat framed the protest as a fight over a basic right. "Our main issue is to stop SIR, stop the vote theft. Voting is a constitutional right, and you are attacking it," she said.
CPI Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar said, "The agitation will continue… Gyanesh Kumar must resign; no one can save him."
One protester told reporters the issue went beyond protest venues: "This is not about reclaiming Jantar Mantar; this is about saving democracy and the country."
Anti-SIR march: key facts
| Date | Friday, October 23, 2026 |
| Organisers | People Against SIR (Delhi committee), backed by SKM |
| Starting point | Gole Dak Khana, central Delhi |
| Stopped at | Barricades near Gurdwara Bangla Sahib |
| Detained | More than 100 protesters |
| Main demands | Halt SIR, CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, restore deleted eligible voters |
| Wider campaign | 88 cities, 18 states, until November 1 |
Why SIR has become a flashpoint
The Special Intensive Revision is a ground-level verification of electoral rolls in which the voter list is checked and updated. The Election Commission says the purpose is to make rolls accurate by removing duplicate, dead or shifted voters and adding eligible new ones.
Opposition parties and civil society groups, however, allege that the process has led to the deletion of genuine voters, or could exclude many eligible citizens who fail to produce documents in time. That concern sits behind the "vote theft" slogan that has become a rallying cry for critics.
The issue has been building for weeks. Earlier in October, INDIA bloc leaders marched to the Election Commission and met President Droupadi Murmu over the voter-roll revision. Organisers of Friday's march say more than 300 organisations have now joined their campaign, with 145 groups involved in the current round of demonstrations.
What it means for voters
For ordinary voters, the political noise comes with a practical message: check your name on the electoral roll. Whatever side one takes in the debate, the SIR process means lists are being revised, and people whose details have changed or who have moved homes are most likely to be affected.
Voters can verify their entries through the Election Commission's official voter services portal or the Voter Helpline app using their EPIC number, and file claims or objections during the window announced for their area.
What happens next
The People Against SIR campaign plans protests in different cities till November 1. Opposition parties have also indicated they will keep raising the issue both on the streets and in courts. The Election Commission has so far defended the revision as a routine and necessary exercise to clean up rolls.
With the poll body and its critics digging in, the SIR row is likely to remain at the centre of political debate in the coming weeks, especially in states heading towards elections.
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