Key Takeaways
- Police detained scores of protesters in New Delhi amid security force patrols.
- The protest, organized by the 'Cockroach' youth movement, aims to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
- Travel and telecoms links were suspended, and metro stations and markets were shut down in the city.
Police in New Delhi detained hundreds of protesters on Saturday, as thousands of security forces patrolled the city to prevent a large-scale demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The protest, organized by the 'Cockroach' youth movement, seeks to draw thousands of demonstrators to demand the resignation of Kumar, who has been criticized for revising voter lists that critics say favor the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Television images showed police chasing down young protesters in the central business district, with those detained being loaded into vehicles and taken away. About 200 protesters were reportedly detained in the area, according to a police source.
Popular YouTube figure Dhruv Rathee, a supporter of the protest, was also detained outside Delhi, a police spokesperson said.
With metro stations and markets shut and mobile internet suspended, police boarded buses to check for protesters at points of entry into the city. Cars and other vehicles were also subjected to checks, witnesses reported.
Barricades and concrete blocks were set up to stop traffic, while anti-riot vehicles with tear gas guns were stationed on key routes.
Founder of the 'Cockroach Janta Party,' Abhijeet Dipke, criticized the government's actions, stating, 'Why is the prime minister so scared of the country's youth, the country's people? Why did you need to close all the railways, the metro, the internet has been closed, roads have been closed? This is nothing but fear.'
The protest, dubbed 'Save Democracy,' is part of a series of demonstrations launched after the Indian Express newspaper reported that Kumar's deputies had disagreed with him over list revisions that dropped about 130 million voters, a number exceeding the population of Japan.
Opposition parties have long accused the government of trying to fix voter lists to its advantage, and were quick to revive these allegations following the report. Kumar has not commented, but the Election Commission and the BJP have denied the allegations.
The protests pose a new political challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, just months after similar demonstrations forced his education minister to resign over exam paper leaks. They also come months before key state elections starting in early 2027.
Why is the prime minister so scared of the country's youth, the country's people?
Abhijeet Dipke, Founder of the 'Cockroach Janta Party'
