Goa Police Detain Dozens, Block CJP Protest Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar at Azad Maidan

Goa Police detained dozens of protesters in Panaji on Sunday and prevented a demonstration by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from going ahead at Azad Maidan, according to news agency PTI.

Demonstrators said they were taken into custody as they arrived at the ground. Among those detained was CJP leader Amreen Shaikh. Police also stopped several prominent figures from entering the venue, including former Allahabad High Court chief justice Ferdin Rebello, veteran lawyers Claud and Norma Alvares, and activists Swapnesh Sherlekar and Govind Shirodkar, the report said.

Those denied entry assembled on the adjoining main road and later gathered outside the Goa Police headquarters. The action took place in the presence of North Goa Superintendent of Police Harish Madkaikar.

"We don't know how many of them are detained because they were lifting everyone who was heading to Azad Maidan," one protester said.

Rebello, who heads the 'Enough Is Enough' movement in Goa, questioned the decision to bar citizens from the ground, which houses a martyrs' memorial, and demanded that the authorities identify the legal provision under which entry was refused. "Freedom fighters fought for the liberation of Goa, and now we are fighting for freedom from the misuse of power by the Election Commission. Entering Azad Maidan is not an offence," he said, according to PTI.

The Goa Police had not issued a public statement on the detentions or on the specific legal grounds cited for stopping the gathering at the time of this report, and the exact number of people held could not be independently verified.

The protest is the latest episode in a continuing dispute over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The CJP and several opposition parties have demanded the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, alleging irregularities in the exercise. These are allegations; no competent authority has recorded a finding of irregularity on the material publicly available. The Election Commission has publicly described the revision as an exercise aimed at removing duplicate, shifted and deceased entries from the rolls, and has rejected the charge of improper conduct.

Azad Maidan in Panaji is a public ground that contains a memorial to those who fought for Goa's liberation from Portuguese rule, which is why it is a customary venue for public meetings and protests in the state.

Under Article 19(1)(b) of the Constitution, citizens have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms. That right is subject to reasonable restrictions that the state may impose by law, including in the interests of public order, and police action is expected to rest on a specified legal provision. Where persons are detained, they are entitled to be informed of the grounds of detention and to seek redress through the courts.

The events of Sunday leave several questions on which the police have not yet publicly elaborated: the legal basis for refusing entry to the ground, the provision under which protesters were taken into custody, and the total number held. A clear official account would help residents assess whether the action was proportionate and lawful.

PTI contributed to this report.