Pune Protest: ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ Protest Sees Calls for Gyanesh Kumar’s Resignation

Reported by Radhika Sharma and Shoaib Tadvi
Pune, 17th October 2026: The ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ protest was held near the Collector’s Office in Pune on Saturday evening, with demonstrators raising concerns over the right to protest, alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the detention of protesters in New Delhi.

The demonstration commenced at 5 pm in solidarity with those detained in New Delhi during protests on 10th October and CJP representatives Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, who were detained on 13th October at Jantar Mantar for unfurling the Tricolour, after climbing the barricades and entering the site. The detentions followed the de-notification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site.

Protesters raised slogans calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and displayed posters highlighting their demands. Slogans calling for revolution were also raised during the demonstration.

“We’re protesting here today because we disagree with the notion of asking for permission to protest. Protesting and disagreeing with the government and their actions is our fundamental right as citizens,” said one protester.

The gathering saw participation from people across age groups, communities and professions. Some participants raised concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that eligible voters had been incorrectly marked as deceased, potentially affecting their right to vote.

“We’ve seen people who are alive and right in front of us declared deceased according to the SIR. This isn’t the case for one or two anomalies, instead it is hundreds and thousands of people to whom the right to vote was denied,” said another protester.

The demonstration concluded at around 6:30 pm. Protesters used the gathering to express their opposition to the detentions and voice concerns over electoral processes and restrictions on demonstrations.