Protesters against voter roll revision detained in Delhi — The Guardian
In Delhi, India, police detained activists, students and opposition politicians during protests against the special intensive revision of electoral rolls (SIR). Participants in the demonstrations are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the cancellation of the register review, which removed 130 million people from the voter lists, The Guardian reports.
Restrictions in the capital
On the eve of the Saturday rally organised by the Cockroach Janta party, authorities imposed extensive restrictions in the capital. A total of 245 trains to Delhi were cancelled, 45 metro stations were closed, liquor stores were shut down, and internet access was disabled in the central part of the city. Some activists were placed under house arrest.
The founders of Cockroach Janta were removed from an Air India flight after the plane landed at Delhi airport. Opposition leaders were held at police stations for more than eight hours. Videos showed students and activists being roughly detained, beaten and dragged off the streets; journalists were also among those detained. A Supreme Court lawyer who was helping the detainees was taken away by police, who tore his shirt in the process.
Authorities' and opposition reactions
Political activist Yogendra Yadav, who was also detained, said that in four decades of participation in public life he had never seen such large-scale preparations for a demonstration. According to him, despite an increased security presence in various parts of Delhi, small spontaneous protests took place.
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Ravi Shankar Prasad, a spokesperson for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, accused the opposition of using protests after electoral defeats. He stated that the country would be governed by parliament, not the street.
The protests intensified after an Indian Express investigation, according to which two other members of the Election Commission of India — Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi — had expressed concerns about changes to voter lists, registration procedures and digital systems. The commission said that differing positions are part of the decision-making process. Former election commissioner Ashok Lavasa called the SIR procedure unprecedented and unfair because, in his view, it departs from the previous principle of including all eligible voters.
On Monday, the Kerala Legislative Assembly adopted a resolution calling for Kumar's removal from office. Opposition parties went to the Supreme Court demanding action against him, while the Cockroach Janta movement and left-wing student organisations pledged to continue the protests.
