Bengaluru Police Detain Prakash Raj, Activists During Protest Against Electoral Roll Revision
Actor Prakash Raj and other demonstrators were taken into preventive custody while marching toward the Election Commission office to oppose the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Bengaluru Police detained actor and activist Prakash Raj, actor Kishore and several civil society activists during a protest calling for action against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Karnataka.
The protesters had gathered at Freedom Park and were attempting to march toward the Election Commission office on Sheshadri Road. Police stopped the procession before it could move further and took several participants into preventive custody.
Those detained were placed on buses as police moved to prevent the march from continuing.
The protest follows concerns over the draft electoral rolls prepared after the state’s recent door to door voter verification exercise. Activists have questioned the manner in which voters were classified during the revision process.
According to the protesters, millions of genuine voters have been listed under categories such as absent, shifted or deceased. They argue that such classifications could threaten the voting rights of eligible citizens, particularly where voters were not given adequate notice or an opportunity to respond.
Speaking to reporters at the protest, Prakash Raj questioned the Election Commission’s procedures and the timeline followed during the revision exercise.
He called for the revised process to be withdrawn and said efforts would be made to challenge voter exclusions through legal channels. The protesters said their campaign was aimed at protecting the voting rights of citizens and ensuring that eligible voters are not removed from the electoral rolls without due process.