Delhi Police Detain Thousands in 43,000-Strong Crackdown on Voter Roll Protests
Updated
Updated · DW (English) · Oct 10
Delhi Police Detain Thousands in 43,000-Strong Crackdown on Voter Roll Protests
3 articles · Updated · DW (English) · Oct 10
Summary
43,000 police and security personnel sealed off central Delhi on Saturday as authorities detained thousands of protesters and several opposition leaders trying to reach an unauthorized rally at Jantar Mantar.
The protest, called by the Cockroach Janta Party, targeted Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over voter-list revisions that critics say could disenfranchise millions and benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP; the Election Commission denies wrongdoing.
Abhijeet Dipke, the CJP founder, was detained on landing in Delhi along with other party leaders, prompting the group to appoint Ajinkya Shinde as interim protest leader and urge supporters to keep marching.
Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee and Pinarayi Vijayan were among senior politicians detained, while Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi accused Modi's government of crushing democracy; the BJP said the opposition was trying to incite tension.
Journalists and lawyers were also briefly detained, drawing criticism from press-freedom groups and the Supreme Court Bar Association as internet curbs, barricades and transport restrictions turned the capital into a lockdown zone.