Delhi students clash with police over election roll probe and education grievances

On October 2, roughly one hundred members of the All India Students’ Association marched toward Jantar Mantar demanding the ouster of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of electoral roll manipulation. As they approached, they shouted anti-government slogans and were met by Delhi police, who chased and detained many protesters. One participant, a 17-year-old sociology student from Hindu College who used the name Sahil, said he was beaten, suffered bruises, and was forced onto a bus that drove in circles before being dropped near the Delhi-Haryana border.

He later returned home by bus and metro, keeping his detention hidden from his parents. Sahil’s experience mirrors that of nine other young activists from Delhi and Mumbai, most of whom have faced police manhandling and describe a growing anger over education reforms, the NEET scandal, Covid-19 mismanagement, the Citizenship Amendment Act, and the National Register of Citizens. Their families often remain unaware of their involvement, and many cite personal or community discrimination as a catalyst for their activism. The protests have become a focal point for a generation that feels increasingly alienated from the Modi government’s policies.