Manipur Congress burns effigies of CEC

IMPHAL, SEP 28 (NPN): Opposition Congress in Manipur on Monday staged protests outside district election offices across the state, joining the party’s nationwide movement demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Amid police attempts to disperse them, protesters burnt effigies of the CEC. No major untoward incident was reported except brief scuffles between police and demonstrators. The Congress has been demanding the removal of the CEC over allegations concerning the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Protests were held in Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Kakching, Bishnupur, Kangpokpi (Sadar Hills) and Churachandpur.
In some districts, effigies of the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister were also torched. Protesters displayed slogans such as “Democracy under threat,” “Save democracy, save the vote,” and “Gyanesh Kumar is the enemy of the Constitution.” At Imphal East, Congress workers led by district leaders thronged the office of the District Election Officer (DEO) and burnt an effigy of the CEC while chanting slogans against the Modi government. MPCC member Th Oxford Singh alleged that the SIR exercise had raised serious questions over the protection of voting rights.
At Thoubal, protests briefly disrupted traffic along NH 102 (Imphal Moreh section). Retired Colonel Md Shahid Khan, who joined the protest, referred to reported objections raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over electoral roll decisions and demanded action against the CEC. In Churachandpur, protesters demanded free, fair and transparent elections. MPCC working president Manga Vaiphei and DCC president Mangkholien Gangte were among those present. Referring to a report by The Indian Express, Congress leaders alleged that over 13 crore names had been struck off draft electoral rolls across 30 states and Union Territories during the SIR exercise.
Meanwhile, BJP Manipur Pradesh dismissed the allegations, with state general secretary K Sarat Kumar asserting that the ECI’s three member commission had taken the decision related to Form 6 during its meeting in New Delhi on September 26. He defended the SIR exercise as routine and accused the Congress of misleading the public with baseless claims.