Indian police detain several people in Gen Z-led protests against voter roll changes
About 100 demonstrators removed security barricades before police forcibly detained some of them.
On Saturday, authorities in New Delhi arrested individuals involved in protests organized by the Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party and other opposition groups. The demonstrators challenged alterations to voter rolls, claiming they favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration. They demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The protests were among numerous youth-led actions this year, exerting unprecedented pressure on Modi over his 12-year tenure. Approximately 100 protesters dismantled security barriers and chanted slogans like "vote thief, leave the post" and "Gyanesh Kumar, step down" before being apprehended by the police. Notable figures among the detainees included independent lawmaker Kapil Sibal, All India Students’ Association President Neha Bora, and political activists Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, according to a Reuters witness.
The police did not disclose the number or identities of those detained. Bora expressed frustration, stating, "First they removed people from the voters list and now they are not letting us raise our voice against this. This is not acceptable." The Chief Election Commissioner has not addressed the protests or the calls for Kumar's resignation.
On Friday, police prevented protesters from assembling, transporting them to buses. Several metro stations near the demonstration remained closed due to heightened security. Although released on Friday, several detainees were charged with breaking orders prohibiting mass gatherings in Delhi, a police source revealed. Critics argue that a nationwide voter-verification initiative initiated last year has removed millions of eligible voters from electoral rolls.
The commission, once considered one of the most trustworthy institutions in the country, maintains that the exercise aims to eliminate duplicate, deceased, or ineligible voters. On Friday, the commission instructed officials to register newly eligible voters and those left off the electoral rolls.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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