New Delhi: Amid the commotion at Delhi’s Connaught Place on October 12, a woman from Kolkata made her presence felt without raising a slogan. She stood for hours with the Indian flag held aloft, explaining that she had come to stand up for the Constitution and show solidarity with those protesting for fair elections.
A video of Adrita Roshni’s silent protest, recorded by independent journalist Fatima Khan on October 12, has gone viral on Instagram. It showed her standing still with the national flag as police personnel moved around Connaught Place, where protesters demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had gathered.
Curious about the woman’s determination, Fatima approached her and asked how long she had been standing. Adrita said she had been there since 1 pm, and it was already 6:15 pm. When asked whether her hands were hurting, she replied that the collective pain experienced by people across the country made her own physical discomfort insignificant.
Explaining why she had come to the protest site, Adrita said the treatment of women and journalists in the preceding days had moved her to act. She also recalled being detained alongside a lawyer two days earlier, urging everyone regardless of their background to take action to protect the constitution.
Despite the tense atmosphere, Adrita found encouragement in small gestures from strangers who offered her water and food. She emphasized that these acts of empathy reflect the true spirit and power of India, noting that she belongs to no political party and that citizens are in the struggle together.
The demonstrations on Saturday were organised by the CJP and student groups to raise concerns over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and alleged irregularities in the voter-list revision process. Heavy security was deployed across Delhi as protesters attempted to gather, and police detained demonstrators at various locations, including Connaught Place.