Protests in Mumbai demand election commission chief’s resignation — The Guardian
Protests organized by the youth movement Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) took place in Mumbai, India, on Friday. Participants demanded the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, amid fears that millions of citizens could unfairly lose their right to vote, The Guardian reports.
Dispute over the voter register
Kumar came under criticism after an Indian Express report on alleged irregularities and internal warnings concerning the procedure for reviewing and “cleaning” the voter register — the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The procedure, overseen by Kumar, resulted in tens of millions of people being removed from the register, and many of them are challenging their removal.
Opposition politicians and civil society organizations say that the SIR is part of large-scale manipulation of the electoral system in favor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The Election Commission denies wrongdoing during the SIR. At the same time, officials have been instructed to speed up the registration of new voters and people who say they were wrongly removed from the lists.
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Protests in Mumbai and detentions in Delhi
CJP founder Abhijit Dipke said that the action in Mumbai is intended to launch a nationwide movement. Protests are also planned in Delhi, Goa, Kolkata and Bengaluru. Authorities did not grant permission for the rally in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park, but Dipke promised to hold the action despite this.
In Delhi, police deployed thousands of officers near the Jantar Mantar site, closed 12 nearby metro stations and imposed an internet shutdown. At least 700 people, including representatives of civil society organizations and opposition politicians, were detained and taken to police buses. Opposition parties said they would also begin nationwide protests, while all opposition lawmakers plan to march to the Election Commission’s office in Delhi next week.
