Citizens divided between October 10 protest calls, police warnings

With the police calling up volunteers, holding meetings with residents and using loudspeakers to announce that prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) are in place near Jantar Mantar and youth organisations going door-to-door to mobilise those affected by the special intensive revision (SIR) process, people are in a dilemma over whether to join the protest on October 10 seeking removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and suspension of the SIR drive. 

Section 163 of the BNSS, 2023, empowers an Executive Magistrate (such as a District Magistrate or Commissioner of Police) to issue urgent temporary orders to maintain public order, prevent danger, or stop unlawful assemblies.

To stop people from gathering, the police has been holding meetings in colleges, universities, and PG accommodations to ask students and citizens not to join the protest. Officials said that joining the unsanctioned protest would disrupt law and order in the New Delhi area.

Police officials visited local mosques and market places in Old Delhi and announced that Section 163 of BNSS is in place in the New Delhi area, requesting citizens to not participate in the protest.

“Do not pay attention to any provocation. Do not come under the influence of any provocative messages or act. Be a responsible citizen and follow the law. Cooperate with police and administration in your areas. Advise your friends, family and children not to be part of a crowd unnecessarily, or participate in any protest because administration is only doing its work. This should not negatively impact us or our children,” announced a police official addressing citizens in Baghwali Masjid in Chandni Chowk on Thursday.

Locals in central Delhi are afraid to join the protest. “The police have been telling us not to join the protest as it is illegal to hold protests in New Delhi due to Section 163 being in place. All our shopkeepers and youth have been told not to provide food or take bulk orders expected to be served to protesters. We are afraid that if we join the protest, we will be detained by the police,” said Salauddeen, president of the Matia Mahal Traders’ Organisation.

However, in many areas, despite the police reaching out to citizens, associations have insisted on participating and have even mobilised people from their areas for October 10. “I have received calls from the local police saying that since Section 163 is in place, people should refrain from participating. We will not stop as it is our right to protest and SIR is a genuine issue that needs to be addressed. Several people who are not politically active otherwise have given their word to participate in the October 10 gathering,” said Ashok Bhasin, president of the North Delhi Residents’ Welfare Federation.

Door-to-door mobilisation

Youth organisations have been trying to mobilise people affected by the SIR process on the ground, targeting people in slum areas in various parts of the city. Several organisations have reached out to domestic workers, daily-wage earners, and factory workers to inform them how SIR can affect them. At least seven different organisations are doing door-to-door campaigns, including anganwadi and women’s organisations.

“There are people from marginalised sections, especially among the working class, who do not even know what SIR is and how the deletion of their names from the rolls can affect them. No BLOs or EC officials have approached them to tell them their names have been deleted or what documents they need to submit if their names have been deleted,” said Naureen, a member of the Disha Students’ Organisation.

She added that real mobilisation of the people happens on the ground, among those affected by the process. “We have been telling people to join the October 10 protest because they are the ones who have been affected by it the most,” she said. However, with heavy police deployment, transport, and communication services expected to be restricted on Saturday, she says it will be a challenge to bring them to the protest site. “We do not want them to suffer either, as they will have to travel from far-off places. People are willing to participate despite that, and no one has backed off as of now,” she added.

“Besides demanding Gyanesh’s resignation, we also demand the scrapping of SIR as a whole. We are going door-to-door in 13 different states as part of our Bhagat Singh Jan Adhikar Yatra to mobilise the working masses, demanding the scrapping of SIR and re-election in SIR-inflicted states,” said Vishal from the Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India.