Police Detain Protesters in New Delhi as Gen Z-Led Demonstrations Against Voter Roll Changes Enter Second Day

NEW DELHI – Indian police detained several people in the capital on Saturday, breaking up a second day of protests against changes to the country’s voter rolls. The demonstrations were backed by the Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party and other opposition groups.

The protesters allege that the changes favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governing party, and they are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

According to a Reuters witness, about 100 demonstrators pushed aside security barricades on Saturday and chanted slogans accusing the election chief of vote theft and calling on him to step down, before police forcibly detained some of them. Among those taking part were independent lawmaker Kapil Sibal, All India Students’ Association (AISA) President Neha Bora, and political activists Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav. Police declined to say how many people had been detained or who they were.

Bora, who was among those detained, told Reuters it was unacceptable that authorities had first removed people from the voter list and were now preventing citizens from protesting against it.

The protests began on Friday, when police prevented a group of demonstrators from assembling and loaded them onto buses, while several nearby metro stations were closed amid heavy security. Most of those detained on Friday were later released, but according to a police source, several were charged with violating orders banning large public gatherings in Delhi.

Critics say a nationwide voter-verification exercise launched last year has resulted in millions of eligible voters being struck off the electoral rolls. On Friday, the Election Commission directed officials to register newly eligible voters as well as those who had been left off the rolls. Kumar has not commented on the protests or the calls for his resignation.

The demonstrations are the latest in a wave of youth-led protests that have emerged in India this year, placing Modi under pressure unprecedented in his 12 years in office.