PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has asked “secular-minded” Indians to join a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on September 29, where a newly formed national committee plans to take up alleged voter deletions and demolition of religious sites. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said the gathering would run from 2 pm to 5 pm.
What Mehbooba Mufti said about the September 29 protest
The demonstration has been called by the Monitoring Committee for Indian Muslims, also known as the National Monitoring Committee. Mufti, who is a member of the panel, released a video message on Saturday asking people outside the Muslim community to take part.
“You know that today in our country, mosques, shrines, and churches are being demolished with great ruthlessness. Apart from this, in the voter lists that are being prepared, the names of opposition supporters, secular-minded people, and especially Muslims, are being removed,” she said.
“I appeal to all secular-minded people to participate in this and help us protect this country’s democracy, this country’s brotherhood, and the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of this nation.”
In a separate post, Mufti wrote: “An appeal to every Indian who cherishes the democratic and secular values that bind our diverse nation together. Let us come together and raise our voices for the India we believe in. Join us at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on 29 September, from 2–5 pm.”
Voter roll revision becomes part of the protest call
Mufti’s remarks come during the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls. The exercise was extended to 16 states and three Union Territories under Phase III in May. The Election Commission said its objective was to ensure that no eligible citizen was excluded and no ineligible person was included.
Delhi has become one of the main centres of attention during the exercise. More than 31 lakh electors received notices seeking verification after their records were flagged for issues such as mismatches or difficulties linking them with earlier electoral records. Those receiving notices have included External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, CBI Director Praveen Sood and other serving and retired officials.
The Election Commission has said receiving such a notice does not mean a person’s name has automatically been deleted or that the voter has been found ineligible. Electors can submit documents and seek verification of their entries.
Who is behind the Jantar Mantar demonstration?
The 51-member National Monitoring Committee was announced earlier this month by Indian Muslims for Civil Rights. It followed a July 24 meeting of Muslim leaders and intellectuals at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi.
The panel includes National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, Mufti, former Union minister Salman Khurshid, former Delhi lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung, former judges, lawyers, MPs, religious scholars and civil society members. Organisers have said the committee will use constitutional, legal and political channels to take up matters concerning civil rights, religious freedom and political representation.
The September 29 gathering is the committee’s latest public action. Mufti has presented the demonstration as open to Indians across communities, linking her appeal to democracy, communal brotherhood and the country’s Ganga-Jamuni cultural tradition.
