Protests Erupt in Delhi Over Voter Roll Changes
By Saurabh Sharma
New Delhi, October 3 (Reuters) – On Saturday, the police in New Delhi took several individuals into custody as protests continued for a second day, fueled by the Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party and various opposition groups. These demonstrations are aimed at opposing recent revisions to voter rolls.
Protesters argue that these changes favor the ruling party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and are calling for the resignation of the head of India’s election agency.
These protests are part of a growing trend of youth-led movements this year, creating significant pressure on Modi, who has been in power for an unprecedented 12 years.
On Saturday, around 100 protesters broke through security barricades, chanting slogans like “vote thief, leave the post” and demanding the resignation of Election Commission chief Gyanesh Kumar, prompting police to detain some participants.
Among those seen at the protest were Independent MP Kapil Sibal, Neha Bora, president of the leftist All India Students’ Association, and activists Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, as reported by a witness.
Authorities did not provide details about how many people were detained or their identities.
“This is unacceptable; first, they removed people from the voters list, and now they are not allowing us to voice our concerns,” said Bora.
So far, Kumar has not responded to the protests or the calls for his resignation.
On Friday, authorities had already intervened by stopping a group of protesters from gathering and putting them on buses. Several metro stations nearby were closed due to heightened security.
While many detained on Friday were released, some have been charged with violating prohibitions on large gatherings in Delhi, according to a police source.
Critics claim that a nationwide voter verification exercise initiated last year has resulted in the removal of millions of eligible voters from the electoral rolls. Although the Election Commission, long seen as a credible institution in the country, states that the exercise is aimed at getting rid of duplicate, deceased, or ineligible voters.
Recently, the commission instructed officials to ensure the registration of newly eligible voters and those left off the electoral lists.
(Reporting by Saurabh Sharma in New Delhi; Writing by Praveen Paramasivam in Chennai; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
