Indian authorities imposed tight security across New Delhi on Saturday, October 10, detaining hundreds of protesters, including former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, during demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), was also detained, along with senior party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, according to the organisation.
Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across the capital. Mobile internet services were suspended in the central business district, while dozens of metro stations and markets were closed as authorities sought to prevent a rally organised by the Cockroach movement.
The protest was called over the special intensive revision of electoral rolls overseen by Kumar. Critics allege that the process has given Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) an unfair advantage.
Organisers had planned to gather thousands of people at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site in central Delhi. However, security forces sealed off the area before the demonstration began.
Small groups of protesters nevertheless gathered at various locations across the city, including a popular handicrafts market and the memorial to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi. They chanted slogans demanding Kumar’s resignation.
A Reuters journalist who witnessed the events reported that some young protesters in central Delhi shouted, “Long live the revolution.” Police chased demonstrators and dragged many of them onto buses. Others continued arriving after the first groups were removed.
Yogendra Solanki, who was being taken away by police, told Reuters: “This is violating the rights of the people. The country will not tolerate this anymore.”
CJP founder detained after flight from Mumbai
In a statement, the Cockroach Janta Party said police detained founder Abhijeet Dipke and senior leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after a flight from Mumbai landed in Delhi.
Television footage showed Dipke challenging police officers who approached him inside the aircraft. “I have come to be arrested. Arrest me. I am not afraid of you,” he was heard saying. A police officer replied: “No, this is not an arrest. Please cooperate.”
The Cockroach movement condemned the detentions as “authoritarian” and demanded the leaders’ immediate release. It also said the protests would continue despite the arrests. Television footage showed Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal among those detained, along with several opposition lawmakers.
Representatives of two digital news outlets said police briefly detained four journalists while they were covering the protests. A Reuters journalist was also temporarily detained and later released. Several lawyers protesting outside the Supreme Court were detained as well, according to the president of the court’s bar association, who said they were later released. Police did not immediately comment on the detentions.
Security restrictions across the capital
Checkpoints were set up on major roads and at entry points to the sprawling capital, home to around 20 million people. Police boarded buses to search for protesters and inspected vehicles, while barricades and concrete barriers were used to restrict traffic. Riot-control vehicles equipped with tear-gas launchers were also deployed along key roads.
Voter-roll revision creates a challenge for Modi
The protests over alleged irregularities in voter-list revisions have become a significant challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Opposition parties allege that the electoral rolls were not properly revised before several recent state elections, which the BJP won.
A report published last week by The Indian Express said two election commissioners had disagreed with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the process that led to the proposed removal of around 130 million names from voter rolls. The report helped intensify the protests. Kumar has not commented on the allegations. The Election Commission and the BJP have denied wrongdoing.
The BJP says its electoral victories reflect Modi’s popularity and India’s economic growth. The party has also accused opposition groups of spreading misinformation after failing to win elections. Nevertheless, near-daily demonstrations are putting further pressure on the Modi government. A few months ago, the country’s education minister resigned following protests over an examination paper-leak scandal. Several important state elections are scheduled for early 2027.
Senior Congress leader K. C. Venugopal criticised Saturday’s restrictions, saying the Modi government had “officially declared war on its own people.” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, meanwhile, claimed that democracy had prevailed over mob disorder.
Opposition alleges 130 million names removed from voter rolls Opposition parties say the deletion of large numbers of names from electoral rolls affected the outcomes of recent state elections won by the BJP. They argue that the controversy has raised questions about the integrity of India’s electoral process.
According to Election Commission figures cited in reports, around 130 million names were removed during voter-list verification. The records attributed approximately 63 million cases to people who had moved elsewhere, 30 million to individuals who could not be located and 28 million to people who had died.
The Election Commission says the names were removed after being identified during the draft-roll revision process. It has also said that eligible voters whose names were mistakenly deleted can register again.
