While Saturday witnessed an unprecedented fortification of Jantar Mantar - followed by right-wing goons attacking protesters on Sunday, the march of INDIA bloc leaders from Barakhamba Road to the Supreme Court took place smoothly on Monday. 

There was little police deployment, roads in central Delhi were mostly open, and no detentions took place during the march. 

Newslaundry was on the ground to speak to workers of the Congress party, All India Students Association, Fraternity Movement, and common citizens who came to share their solidarity on the issue of “vote chori” (vote theft). What emerged was a protest that meant different things to different people. 

For some, it was about deleted names from electoral rolls. For others, it was about the Election Commission. For several, it had become a fight over the right to protest itself. And for some, “vote chori” had become a shorthand for a much larger dissatisfaction with the government.

‘People are not scared anymore’

Speaking about the way Delhi Police had behaved over the preceding days, Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar said the police were acting on the government’s instructions.