Lucknow: Hundreds of social activists, students and members of civil society groups were detained, arrested and dragged away by Uttar Pradesh Police as they protested against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Friday (October 2). The protesters demanded his resignation over allegations regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. They had proposed a citizens’ march to mark Gandhi Jayanti and to raise their concerns about the mass deletion of voters.The protesters had gathered in the afternoon at the state capital’s Parivartan Chowk in the Qaiserbagh area to participate in a “Citizens’ March” against what they said was “vote theft” in the name of the SIR. Their march had been planned towards the Gandhi statue near the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha.The Election Commission of India (ECI) has defended its SIR process, while opposition parties and civil society groups have raised concerns over the deletion of around 13 crore names from the draft electoral rolls in 30 states and Union territories where the exercise has been conducted so far.In the 10 states and three Union territories where final rolls were published by July 2026, the combined net reduction in voters on the electoral rolls was close to 6 crore. Uttar Pradesh had the second-highest net deletions, at 2 crore.The controversy over serious flaws in the process has led to demands for Kumar’s resignation.Also read: Why the Uttar Pradesh SIR is a RiddleCivil society organisations and activists said they wanted to defend democratic and constitutional rights of citizens through their march on Gandhi Jayanti. They assembled at Parivartan Chowk at around 2 p.m., where a heavy police deployment was already in place.Before beginning the proposed 2–3 km march, people raised slogans against the Chief Election Commissioner and demanded his resignation. Some protesters alleged that the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was complicit in “vote theft”.Arrests were made during a citizens’ march against ‘vote theft’ in which hundreds were detained. Photo by arrangement.When the protesters began walking towards the road between Begum Hazrat Mahal Park and the K.D. Singh Babu Stadium, police personnel attempted to stop them. The protesters refused to disperse and tried to proceed with the march. Within minutes, police began detaining protesters, including women activists and students.Several protesters were put into buses stationed in nearby areas and taken to the Eco Garden. Students alleged that some of them were dragged along the road by police personnel. Women activists were also among those detained.While being taken to the Eco Garden, protesters raised slogans against the Yogi Adityanath government and alleged that the authorities were attempting to suppress democratic dissent and restrict citizens’ constitutional right to protest.The police also restricted movement around Parivartan Chowk to prevent additional protesters from reaching the site. Police personnel were deployed on several roads and at key points in the area. The restrictions resulted in several people being stopped before they could reach the main protest site.Daya Shankar Rai, former editor of a Hindi daily, told The Wire that he was also on his way to participate in the protest in support of democratic rights. He said he was accompanied by several retired media personnel.According to Rai, police stopped him near the Hindi Sansthan, approximately one kilometre from Parivartan Chowk. He said he identified himself as a retired editor but was nevertheless stopped from proceeding towards the protest site.Police shove protesters into a bus to detain and take them away from the Parivartan Chowk protest site in Lucknow (Left, bottom rights). Arrests were made during a citizens’ march against ‘vote theft’ in which hundreds were detained, including AISA state president Manish Kumar, state secretary Shashank and others (top right). Photos by arrangement.Rai said was not detained but the police intimidated him and other senior journalists to leave the area. He described the restrictions on protests in Lucknow and Delhi as unfortunate.Women activists were also among those detained. Former University of Lucknow Chancellor Professor Roop Rekha Verma (83) was among the protesters taken into custody.Verma said the protesters, including students, had not used unparliamentary language and alleged that the police detained them despite the march being peaceful. She criticised the treatment of young protesters, particularly students, and alleged that some were dragged along the road.Verma also criticised the BJP’s approach to Mahatma Gandhi, alleging that the party was opposed to Gandhi’s ideology and used his legacy primarily for symbolic political purposes.Dr Sudhanshu Bajpai of the Justice Morcha said the controversy over electoral rolls had brought the issue of democratic rights to the forefront. He alleged that the government was attempting to silence public dissent by preventing protests and making arrests.Also read: SIR Sparks Political Row in Uttar Pradesh: Congress, SP Flag ‘Caste Bias’, Question EC’s Neutrality“Now that the truth about vote theft has come to light, the government is trying to silence the voice of the people by preventing protests and making arrests,” Bajpai said. He added that the right to vote had been secured through decades of struggle and that his organisation would continue to defend democracy and the constitution through peaceful action.After being released from detention, Madhu Garg, a senior member of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), spoke to The Wire over the phone. Garg alleged that the police had detained some protesters and sent many to jail, but the activists would continue their campaign until the “democratic rights of Indian citizens were protected”.Garg accused the Uttar Pradesh Police of acting at the direction of its “political masters” and alleged that the police were restricting citizens from raising their voice against the wrongful deletion of names from electoral rolls in the name of SIR.Police detain activists of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and other youth organisations during a protest demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar in Lucknow, October 2, 2026. Photo: PTI/Nand Kumar.The All India People’s Front (AIPF) also participated in the protest and condemned the detention of activists demanding the withdrawal of the SIR and the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The organisation submitted a memorandum addressed to the President of India, urging protection of constitutional democracy.Former IPS officer and AIPF national president S.R. Darapuri said, “The government is using detention and suppression to silence democratic voices. Peaceful protest is a constitutional right, and denying people this space is a serious concern for democracy.”AIPF Uttar Pradesh general secretary Dinkar Kapoor, who was among those detained, said at the Parivartan Chowk protest, “On Gandhi Jayanti, we are witnessing attempts to suppress dissent. We will continue to defend democracy and the Constitution through peaceful democratic action.”Also read: ‘A Political Party Can’t Defend an Independent Constitutional Body’: NDA Allies Call For Gyanesh Kumar’s ClarificationMeanwhile, workers of the Samajwadi Party staged a separate protest near Vidhan Bhawan in Lucknow against the Election Commission and CEC Kumar.Party workers organised a symbolic funeral procession carrying an urn as a form of protest against the Election Commission. They raised slogans against Kumar over allegations of “vote theft” before police intervened.As the protesters attempted to move towards the Vidhan Sabha, police personnel stopped them, leading to a confrontation.Police personnel were seen carrying some Samajwadi Party workers away and dragging others towards a police vehicle. In one instance, an officer was seen lifting a protester with both hands, carrying him towards a police jeep and putting him down next to the vehicle.A policeman lifts a protester and carries him away in Lucknow on October 2, 2026. Credit: X/@TejashyyThe police action during the protests in the state capital comes less than three months after a student-led protest against examination failures in which there was a similar crackdown on protesters. The ongoing anti-SIR protests demanding the CEC’s resignation follow a report published by Indian Express that revealed serious conflict of opinion within the election commission over how it was making decisions regarding citizens’ right to vote.The commission has said that its decisions regarding SIR were taken through the prescribed process, while opposition parties and civil society groups have continued to raise questions over voter-list changes.When contacted for his response to allegations of excessive force and the detention of protesters, the Police Commissioner’s office said he was busy in a meeting. The story will be updated if the police provide a response.For our full coverage on the SIR and the issues it has brought to citizens, click here.