India deploys police, restricts transport ahead of major protests

New Delhi, October 10, 2026 - Thousands of Indian police have been deployed in the capital and transport restrictions have been placed around the city ahead of mass protests on Saturday. The demonstrations, called by the youth-led Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), aim to pressure the Election Commission of India (ECI) chief, Gyanesh Kumar, to resign over alleged voter-roll irregularities.

The protests follow weeks of opposition mobilization after a newspaper investigation alleged misconduct during a nationwide voter-roll revision. Critics contend the exercise could disenfranchise voters to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Tens of thousands of police and paramilitary personnel have been stationed across Delhi with barricades blocking roads leading to the usual protest site, Jantar Mantar. Police have not approved rallies at the site this weekend.

The CJP is seen as a revival of the mass mobilization that took place in July, which led to the Education Minister resigning over an examination scandal. This time, the protesters are specifically demanding Kumar's resignation. Authorities have ordered the closure of numerous metro stations and cancelled several trains heading to New Delhi. However, the Supreme Court ruled that some trains must still run, preventing a full closure of metro stations.

The CJP, which began as a satirical political movement in May, accuses authorities of intimidating its supporters ahead of the demonstrations. They claim at least 10,000 people have been detained nationwide, including in the central state of Madhya Pradesh where some detainees were taken to hotels. Police have not addressed the party's broader allegations of mass detentions.

The voter list revision, which began in 2025, has resulted in over 133 million names being excluded from draft rolls. Exclusions include duplicate entries and deceased individuals. The poll body maintains the exercise aims to identify fraudulent registrations and prevent foreign illegal immigrants from casting ballots. However, critics argue the drive has disproportionately affected marginalized and minority communities.

Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP has long alleged large numbers of undocumented Muslim migrants from neighboring Bangladesh have fraudulently entered India's electoral rolls.