NEW DELHI, India —(HornPost) Indian police detained more than 2,000 protesters on Saturday as security forces sealed off parts of the capital to prevent demonstrations against Election Commission chief Gyanesh Kumar, according to Reuters.
The protests were led by the youth movement known as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), alongside student groups and opposition politicians. Demonstrators are demanding Kumar’s resignation, accusing election authorities of unfairly altering voter lists.
Police restricted access to Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site where thousands were expected to gather. Reuters and The Associated Press reported that security forces stopped people travelling to the venue, with some detainees taken away in buses to temporary holding facilities.
Movement Leaders Detained at Airport
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the CJP movement, and two other leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained by police after their aircraft landed at New Delhi airport from Mumbai.
Before being taken away, Dipke said he was not afraid of being detained. The CJP described the arrests as an attempt to undermine the protest movement and called for its members to be released.
Opposition figures, including Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and Pinarayi Vijayan, were also detained during police operations, Reuters reported. Some journalists covering the demonstrations were reportedly held temporarily as well.
Dispute Over Voter Lists
The protests have been fueled by a nationwide review of electoral roles known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Figures cited by Reuters indicate that approximately 130 million voter records were removed during the verification exercise. The Election Commission said the removals included records belonging to deceased people, those who had moved elsewhere and individuals who could not be located. It added that eligible voters mistakenly removed from the lists could register again.
Opposition parties argue that the changes have disproportionately affected their supporters and could undermine electoral fairness. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and the Election Commission have rejected the allegations, saying the exercise is intended to remove duplicate and ineligible entries.
Security Tightened Across the Capital
Thousands of police officers and other security personnel were deployed across New Delhi. Reuters also reported that mobile internet services were suspended in parts of central Delhi, while several metro stations and markets were closed.
Sambit Patra, a spokesperson for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), described the demonstrators as a disruptive group and said their attempt to stage protests had failed.
Opposition parties, meanwhile, accused the government of restricting citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and protest.
The demonstrations come as India prepares for important state elections in 2027. However, the extent to which the police response and the dispute over voter lists will affect the country’s political climate remains unclear.
HornPost News — Reporting on India and the World.
Prepared by:
HornPost staff
