Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar receives upgraded Z+ security amid SIR protests
The government has raised Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s security to the highest Z+ level after protests targeting him in Delhi and Agra over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
In response to recent protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar concerning alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, the central government has upgraded his security to Z+ - the highest VIP protection category. Police reports indicate that demonstrators traced his Delhi residence and staged a separate rally at his family home in Agra, prompting a fresh threat assessment and the deployment of additional security personnel at his home, the Election Commission premises, and for his personal movements.
The Z+ cover involves a continuous detail from specialized units of the Central Reserve Police Force and other Central Armed Police Forces, overseen by the Ministry of Home Affairs based on intelligence inputs. Opposition groups, notably the Congress and the INDIA bloc, persist in calling for Kumar’s resignation, with leaders like Rahul Gandhi pledging street protests. The Cockroach Janta Party has also announced upcoming mobilisations demanding reforms to the election commission appointment law.
Why it matters
The heightened security underscores escalating political tension over India's electoral roll revision process.
How this story developed
- Oct 2 Youth party and student groups rally to demand resignation of India's election chief
- Oct 5 Delhi police deployed roughly 5,000 officers and paramilitary units ahead of two anti‑CEC marches.
- Oct 6 Opposition MPs including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were briefly detained during a protest march toward the Election Commission.
- Oct 6 When police barred the INDIA bloc march to the Election Commission, Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka redirected the demonstration to the Akashvani Bhavan building.
- Oct 7 Cockroach Janta Party filed a formal notice with Delhi police about an Oct 10 Jantar Mantar protest demanding the CEC’s resignation.
- Oct 7 Police detained Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi and other lawmakers during the protest and released them later that evening.
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