India Detains Over 2,000 Protesters Demanding Election Chief’s Resignation

Indian police detained more than 2,000 protesters in New Delhi on Saturday as authorities tightened security to stop a rally demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The protest was organised by the youth movement Cockroach, which has accused election authorities of unfairly revising voter lists in a way that critics say could benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across the capital. Authorities also suspended mobile internet services in the central business district and closed several metro stations and markets to prevent the demonstration from taking place.

The protesters had planned to gather at Jantar Mantar, a popular protest site in central Delhi. However, security forces sealed off the area before the rally could begin.

A Home Ministry official told Reuters that more than 2,000 people had been detained in Delhi. Local media also reported that around 400 protesters were held in Mumbai.

Despite the restrictions, small demonstrations took place at several locations across Delhi, including a crafts market and the memorial of independence leader Mahatma Gandhi. Protesters called for Kumar to step down, while police detained demonstrators and took them away in buses.

Youth Movement Leaders Detained

Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke and senior leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka when their flight from Mumbai arrived in Delhi, according to a statement from the group.

Television footage showed Dipke challenging officers who approached him on the aircraft. The movement condemned the detention of its leaders and demanded their release.

Cockroach Janta Party leader Ajinkya Shinde said the group would continue its demonstrations until Kumar resigned.

According to television footage, the protests also headed to the custody of numerous resistance figures, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Journalists casing the marches were also pretentious. Representatives of two digital news outlets said police concisely held four of their reporters. A Reuters journalist was also held for a short time before being released.

Dispute Over Voter List Revisions

The demonstrations have become a major challenge for Modi’s government amid allegations that changes to voter lists could have affected recent state elections.

Protests intensified after the Indian Express reported that two election commissioners had questioned Kumar’s voter-list revision process, which reportedly removed around 130 million entries.

Opposition parties claim the deletions affected the results of recent state elections won by the BJP. They have called for greater transparency in the election process.

However, the Election Commission and the BJP have denied allegations of wrongdoing. The ruling party has argued that its electoral success reflects Modi’s popularity and the country’s economic growth.

According to Election Commission data, around 130 million voter entries were removed during the verification process. These included approximately 63 million entries linked to people who had moved, 30 million people who could not be traced and 28 million people reported to have died.

The Election Commission has said the figures relate to entries identified during the draft revision process and that eligible voters whose names were incorrectly removed can register again.

The unrest comes ahead of several important state elections scheduled to begin in early 2027, adding to political tensions over the country’s electoral process.