130 Million Voter Names Deleted; Protest and You’re Arrested — What Is Happening in India?

NEW DELHI, Oct 11: Protests by India’s youth movement continued in New Delhi and several other cities on Sunday, with police detaining demonstrators and journalists amid a sweeping security deployment following a crackdown on protests against voter-list revisions.

The youth movement, which has mobilised demonstrations in recent months over issues ranging from government school infrastructure to employment opportunities, has emerged as a significant political challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Protesters are demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over a voter-list revision that critics allege disproportionately benefits the ruling party.

The court ordered the release of detained youth movement leaders on an undertaking to “maintain public peace,” the CJP said in a statement. However, CJP leader Dipke said the protesters had not agreed to give up their right to demonstrate. “Haven’t signed any bond that says we won’t protest. We will hit the streets again,” he said in a post on X.

Protesters, many affiliated with student organisations linked to India's communist parties, staged sporadic demonstrations in Delhi on Sunday before police detained them and removed them in vehicles. Smaller protests also occurred in Mumbai, Kolkata, Panaji, and Pune.

Abhita Ruheja, a protester detained on Sunday, accused the authorities of turning Delhi into a fortress. “Is this how a democracy works? They have been scrapping rights after rights and this is turning into a dictatorship,” she said.

The All India Students' Association alleged on X that detainees were assaulted by police inside vehicles. A video posted by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) showed its lawmaker John Brittas, who was briefly detained, being helped from a bus into an autorickshaw as he appeared to be in distress. Reuters said it could not independently verify the allegations of assaults.

Police also detained several journalists covering the demonstrations, including reporters carrying microphones and displaying their press credentials, according to a Reuters witness. A Delhi Police spokesperson did not respond at a media briefing to questions about the alleged assaults and detentions.

Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel remained deployed across the capital. Metro stations reopened and mobile internet services were restored after authorities imposed restrictions to prevent Saturday's planned demonstrations. Police said they detained 2,400 people on Saturday, most of whom were released that night.

Opposition parties and critics of the Modi government condemned what they called excessive use of force. A United Nations body also called on the authorities to respect and uphold the right to peaceful assembly. India's Foreign Ministry rejected the statement as “an unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of India.”

The protests follow a report published by The Indian Express in late September that two deputy election commissioners had raised internal concerns about voter-list revisions, registration procedures and digital systems. The Election Commission has maintained that differing views during internal deliberations are normal and denied favouring any political party.

Election Commission data show that the verification exercise deleted about 130 million names from electoral rolls. The deletions included about 28 million people recorded as deceased, 63 million who had relocated and 30 million who could not be traced.

The BJP has accused its opponents of undermining democracy by questioning legitimate electoral procedures. The Election Commission has said voters whose names were wrongly deleted can re-enrol. Opposition parties, however, allege that Muslim voters and other minorities are disproportionately affected by the deletions. Both the BJP and the Election Commission deny allegations of electoral manipulation.

At a special Sunday hearing, the Supreme Court recorded the government's assurance that lawyers and journalists would not be obstructed while carrying out their duties. Lawyers protesting outside the court had also been briefly detained on Saturday, along with several reporters, including a Reuters journalist.

CJP leader Dipke said he would return to his home state of Maharashtra following the death of his grandmother but insisted that the movement would continue its campaign.