Anti-CEC protest: BKU joins the ruckus, warns against targeting Dhruv Rathee

Yudhvir Singh with BKU activists at Mundaka Police Station. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Farmers under the banner of Tikit faction Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) on Saturday (October 10, 2026) protested at the district headquarters in western Uttar Pradesh for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

The delegation led by National General Secretary Yudhvir Singh was detained by the Delhi Police while it was on its way to Jantar Mantar. “Jantar Mantar is a place where every Indian can express their discontent peacefully. The behavior of the Delhi Police was inappropriate. We were driven around the city for more than three hours in a vehicle meant for heinous criminals and kept in custody at Mundka police station. Some of our members were kept in Dwarka,” he said.

A senior farmer, a special invitee member of the Rashtriya Lok Dal Parliamentary Central Committee, said he would raise the issue in the right forum. As an NDA voter, farmers traditionally form the party’s core vote bank. “This is not the time to deal with narrow political interests. I admire (Union Minister) Chirag Paswan for standing in support of the youth protesters,” he told The Hindu.

Mr. Singh, also general secretary of the All India Jat Mahasabha, said that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise had not affected one group and that farmers were strongly supporting the youth protesters. “(YouTuber) Dhruv Rathee is our baby. If he is targeted, we will not hold back. If the police have weapons, we are known to use our farm implements as weapons in times of adversity,” he said. Describing the protests as a turning point in India’s history, the farmer leader said the country had won democracy after more than 700 years of struggle. “We won’t let it go that easily.”

He said BKU leader and national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait, who was in Pune on Saturday, would soon join the protest.

Calling the protest a success, Mr Singh said the government’s tough approach, including the deployment of paramilitary forces, cancellation of trains and shutdown of the Delhi Metro, had amplified the message of the protest. “Protests are about sending a message. The unprecedented measures like calling in paramilitary forces and six-layer barricades have sent a message across the country that the government is scared and hiding something. The Election Commission of India is an independent body. If it is working under pressure, it should come out,” he said.

The call, he added, was not against the BJP government. “This is seeking answers from the commission after reports suggested that the CEC was taking illegal decisions without consultation, but the BJP took up the defense of Gyanesh Kumar.”

Published – 10 Oct 2026 22:03 IST