Indian police detain protesters amid massive security crackdown in New Delhi
Indian police detained protesters in New Delhi on Saturday as tens of thousands of security personnel were deployed to prevent a demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Footage showed officers dragging demonstrators away as authorities barricaded roads leading to Jantar Mantar, the planned protest venue. Dozens of metro stations were closed and several train services cancelled.
Police said permission for the demonstration had been denied, but supporters of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) continued their campaign against the election chief.
The movement accuses Kumar and the Election Commission of manipulating electoral rolls through a voter list revision, allegedly disenfranchising millions of eligible voters.
The Election Commission has rejected the allegations, maintaining that the exercise is intended to remove duplicate entries, deceased voters and other ineligible names.
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Police also detained CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke ahead of the protest. Writing on X, Dipke condemned the security operation, describing it as evidence of a leadership fearful of public opposition.
The crackdown follows similar demonstrations in Mumbai and New Delhi earlier this month.
The Cockroach movement gained national attention in July through protests over education-related grievances, which reportedly led to clashes with police and the resignation of India's education minister.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
