Thousands in New Delhi demand election commission chief’s resignation — NPR

In Connaught Place, one of the busiest commercial districts of New Delhi, India, thousands of people demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Participants waved Indian national flags and protested against the revision of voter lists, NPR reports.

Dispute over voter lists

Protests by youth activists and opposition parties have intensified amid an audit of electoral registers. According to the Associated Press, more than 130 million names have been removed from the lists since last year. Critics of the procedure say it is politically motivated, could disenfranchise millions more people, and disproportionately affects minorities, including Muslims.

The Election Commission and the administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi reject these accusations. They say the revision of the registers is needed to remove duplicate entries and people who are not eligible to vote.

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Movement leader detained

The rally was called by the youth movement “Targan,” whose founder, Abhijit Dipke, was detained by police before the demonstration began. A video published on the movement’s Instagram recorded law enforcement officers intercepting the activist on the street, placing him in a police vehicle, and taking him away. On Thursday, Dipke told journalists that waving the Indian tricolor is not a crime.

Police had earlier urged people not to join the rally, allowing only a small group to gather with flags and sing the national anthem. Authorities also closed Central Park in Connaught Place for Friday and Saturday. Riot police units were on duty at the site, but the demonstrators significantly outnumbered the security forces.

The “Targan” movement emerged this summer as a satirical online campaign after India’s chief justice compared unemployed young people to parasites. Young people turned the image of a cockroach into a symbol of resilience, and the movement later spread across the country. According to AP, protests organized by the movement in July led to the resignation of the education minister in Modi’s government.