Indian police have detained youth protest leaders and scores of demonstrators in New Delhi as authorities imposed sweeping security restrictions ahead of a rally demanding the resignation of the country’s chief election commissioner.
The demonstration, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), targets Gyanesh Kumar over revisions to voter lists that opposition groups allege could give Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) an electoral advantage.
Among those detained were CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and senior members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were taken into custody aboard an aircraft arriving in Delhi from Mumbai, according to a statement by the party.
Television footage showed Dipke challenging officers who approached the group on the plane.
“I have come to be arrested, arrest me … I am not afraid of you guys,” he said.
One officer responded that he was not being arrested and asked him to cooperate.
The party condemned what it described as the “authoritarian detention” of its leaders, alleging that their interception was planned to weaken the leadership of the demonstration. It demanded their immediate release.
Police also detained scores of protesters who gathered in central Delhi, with officers seen chasing demonstrators and taking others away in buses. Some protesters chanted, “Long live the revolution,” as more people arrived at the scene.
“This is violating the rights of the people and the country will not tolerate this anymore,” protester Yogendra Solanki said while being taken into a bus.
Representatives of two digital media organisations reported that four of their journalists had been detained while covering the demonstration. Lawyers protesting outside the Supreme Court were also reportedly taken into custody, according to a post by the court’s bar association president.
Police had not immediately commented on the reported detentions.
Authorities imposed extensive restrictions across the capital, shutting 45 metro stations and markets and suspending mobile internet services in the central business district. Security personnel stopped vehicles at entry points, searched buses and cars, and erected barricades and concrete blocks along major roads.
Anti-riot vehicles equipped with tear gas launchers were also stationed along key routes as security forces sought to prevent demonstrators from assembling.
The protesters had planned to gather at Jantar Mantar, an officially designated protest site in central New Delhi, at 10 a.m. However, the restrictions disrupted their schedule.
Before leaving Mumbai, Dipke questioned the scale of the security measures, including the closure of railway services, metro stations and roads.
“Why is the prime minister so scared of the country’s youth, the country’s people?” he asked.
He also described the restrictions as a sign of fear, insisting that the movement would proceed with its demonstration despite police opposition.
Delhi Police had said on Friday that permission for the rally had not been granted and warned that anyone violating the restrictions would face legal action. The CJP maintained that the demonstration was an exercise of a fundamental right.
The rally, which the party described as an effort to “Save Democracy”, is the latest in a series of protests that began last week over allegations surrounding revisions to India’s voter lists.
The controversy intensified after the Indian Express reported that deputies of Kumar had questioned and disagreed with him over changes that removed about 130 million names from the electoral rolls, a figure exceeding Japan’s population.
Opposition parties have accused the government of manipulating voter registration to strengthen the BJP’s electoral prospects. They have also alleged that the deletions affected the outcomes of some recent state elections won by the ruling party.
Kumar has not commented on the allegations, while the Election Commission and the BJP have denied wrongdoing.
The Election Commission said the figures included entries flagged during the draft revision process and explained that voters who had been wrongly removed could register again.
The commission’s data showed that the deletions included about 63 million people who had relocated, 30 million who could not be traced and 28 million who had died.
The BJP has attributed its electoral success to Modi’s popularity and India’s economic growth, accusing opposition parties of misleading the public because they have struggled to win elections.
However, the recurring demonstrations have presented a fresh political challenge for Modi, coming months after protests over examination paper leaks forced his education minister to resign.
The latest unrest also comes ahead of a series of important state elections scheduled to begin in early 2027.
Ojo Triumph
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