Voter list revision has removed more than 130 million names from rolls
Indian police conducted a sweeping security operation across New Delhi on Saturday ahead of a planned youth protest, detaining thousands of demonstrators and blocking access to Jantar Mantar, the capital’s designated protest site. The operation targeted a demonstration organized by the “Cockroach” movement against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government and India’s election authorities.
Three leaders of the “Cockroach” movement — Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka — were detained at Delhi airport Saturday after flying from Mumbai, the movement said. A video shared by the “Cockroach Janta Party” on X showed police boarding the aircraft and removing the three men. “The pre-planned interception by Delhi Police aims to cripple the leadership of today’s peaceful demonstrations before they even reach the protest site,” the movement said in a statement.
The security operation extended well beyond the airport. Police set up checkpoints on routes into the capital, stopping buses, cars and other vehicles and searching for demonstrators. Jantar Mantar was barricaded, and anti-riot vehicles equipped with tear gas launchers were stationed along key roads. Authorities imposed mobile internet restrictions and blocked access to parts of the city. Loudspeakers warned that assemblies of five or more people were banned in parts of New Delhi. Journalists also faced restrictions in some areas.
Police said Friday they had denied permission for the protest because the request was submitted late.
Some protesters nevertheless broke through cordons, chanting slogans against Modi and election authorities before being detained. “We are a democracy, yet peaceful protests are being crushed by force. Shouldn’t we fight for our rights,” said Tanya Negi, a college student who traveled from Mumbai with two friends and arrived early Saturday. “Why is Modi afraid of India’s young people?”
The operation drew criticism from opposition leaders, who accused the government of curbing dissent. “Is there a democracy in this country? A total siege over the city. Citizens are being driven out,” opposition lawmaker John Brittas told the Associated Press.
The protests center on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision, which the opposition says has disenfranchised millions of eligible voters. Protesters are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an end to the revision, which according to the opposition has removed more than 130 million names from voter rolls. The Election Commission and the government reject allegations of voter manipulation, saying the revision is intended to eliminate duplicate and ineligible entries.
The dispute has become a rallying point for opposition parties seeking to challenge Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders have accused the commission of conducting the revision in a way that benefits Modi’s party, with voters more likely to support opposition parties disproportionately affected by the removals while BJP supporters were spared or added to the lists. The commission and the government deny the allegations.
Saturday’s demonstration followed days of protests in the Indian capital where opposition lawmakers stepped up their campaign. Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi was briefly detained by police during the earlier protests.
The “Cockroach” movement began online in May and gained prominence through demonstrations, sit-ins and hunger strikes over alleged exam paper leaks. Those protests culminated in the resignation of Modi’s education minister in July — a rare political setback for a prime minister who has maintained a firm hold on national power for more than 12 years.
For Modi, the protests pose a challenge midway through his third term, though their political impact remains unclear. National elections are not due until 2029, but state elections next year in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, and Gujarat, Modi’s home state, will test the party’s standing.