‘Cockroaches’ join India protests

Protesters in New Delhi and Mumbai, including members of the youth-led “cockroach” party, rallied on Friday to demand the resignation of the chief election commissioner over alleged voter-roll irregularities. The Indian Express had previously reported on impropriety during a large-scale voter-roll revision that had removed millions of names from the lists.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has rejected the allegations, while the chief Gyanesh Kumar has not commented. Hundreds gathered around Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, a government-designated protest site, with police deploying in large numbers to control the situation. Protesters, citing the denial of their fundamental right to vote, vowed to continue demonstrating despite multiple detentions by police.

Opposition politicians have accused the ECI of acting at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, leading to plans for more protests, including a march to the Election Commission in New Delhi and "Save Democracy" rallies across the country.

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