Massive protests over electoral reform continue in India's capital – police have detained thousands of people
Kyiv • UNN
Protests against electoral reform continue in New Delhi, with thousands of people detained. The Supreme Court ordered the restoration of internet access and transportation.
In India’s capital, New Delhi, large-scale protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar have continued for a second day. Police detained thousands of demonstrators, while the authorities blocked roads, closed dozens of metro stations and restricted internet access. BBC reported this, UNN writes.
Details
The protests were organized by the youth movement Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), known as the “Cockroach Party.” Its representatives accuse the election commission of manipulating voter rolls ahead of important regional elections. The election commission and the ruling party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi reject these accusations.
According to media reports, on Saturday law enforcement officers detained about 7,000 protesters, who were later released. Detentions continued on Sunday. Among those detained were movement leaders Abhijit Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, whom a court later released on the condition that they maintain public order.
Protesters promise not to stop the demonstrations
After their release, CJP representatives said they would continue the protests, as peaceful assembly is their constitutional right. They are demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner and a review of the procedure for updating the voter rolls.
The protests were sparked by a large-scale update of the electoral registers during which, according to data cited by the BBC, at least 130 million names were removed from the rolls. The authorities explain this as necessary to eliminate duplicate entries and records of people who are not eligible to vote. At the same time, numerous citizens say they were removed by mistake.
Because of the demonstrations in Delhi, at least 45 metro stations were closed, rail service and internet access were restricted. Thousands of law enforcement officers were deployed in the city center, blocking streets and detaining participants in the protests.
Against the backdrop of the events, India’s Supreme Court held a special session and ordered the authorities to restore internet access and normal transport operations in the absence of threats to public order. The court also stressed the need to ensure freedom of movement and prevent unlawful detentions.