New Delhi, Oct. 17 -- Despite heavy security deployment and barricading across New Delhi, police urging people not to join, and the possibility of being detained, an estimated 2,000 people joined the flag march announced by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Friday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the restoration of Jantar Mantar as a protest site. Students, professionals, activists, the young, and the old from across the country turned up first at the Inner Circle of Connaught Place. Eventually, as security personnel cleared the area, multiple smaller protests sprung up in the area. Among those who spoke to HT, the loudest cry was for accountability. Protesters also questioned why their right to protest was being curtailed. "I strongly oppose the vote deletion and it is unfortunate that the government is not ready to take any accountability," said 28-year-old Thomas Kurin. He lives in Kerala and learnt of the protest through social media. Kurian and his friends marched with the national flags from outside Central Park till the middle circle. "Why was Jantar Mantar shut? Why should we protest in far off locations?" Another protester, Sonu Yadav comes from Madhya Pradesh's Bhind and had been in Delhi for four days. Waving the national flag, Yadav said he does not support any of the political groups, or even the CJP, involved in the protest on Friday. However, despite being detained thrice in various protests over the past few days, he said, "I won't stop participating till the election commissioner doesn't resign. I've read reports of the irregularities in SIR. The process should be stopped." Voting is a right guaranteed to everyone in India, irrespective which economic class one comes from, said 21-year-old Shashank Shekhar Choudhary, an MBBS students from Darbhanga, Bihar. "Whether one is poor or rich, at least they know both have one vote, now one vote largely of the poor stands threatened." By maintaining the deployment of around 6,000 security personnel in and around Connaught Place from early afternoon all the way till late evening, Delhi Police managed to outnumber protesters three-to-one and prevent any one massive gathering taking place. As a result, protesters were forced to split up into smaller groups that could be easily dispersed. They were joined by members of several left-leaning organisations, including the All India Students' Association, whose president Neha Bora led a march from Mandi House around 2.30pm before being detained. Around 6.30pm, a member of the Students' Federation of India (SFI), Srijan Bhattacharya said, he, along with Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas carried out a march from Firoz Shah Road to Central Park. "Our intention is not to disturb the public and only hold a peaceful march. But it is sad that the police and government are curbing our voices. The police detained our friends, pushed us and removed us after continuously heckling protesters and using whistles to make noise," said the 33-year-old who hails from Kolkata. The protests eventually ended around late evening. According to a senior police officer, 100-150 were eventually detained. In his parting thoughts, Kurin said, "They are also not letting us have a peaceful march and are suppressing the dissent. I am scared of police detention; yet I am here. We are the voice of democracy. People around me, even journalists, are labelling us anti-national. I condemn this. We are here for our rights."...