THOUSANDS IN DELHI DEMAND ELECTION CHIEF RESIGN OVER VOTER ROLLS

Thousands of protesters marched in New Delhi on Monday demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged misconduct in a revision of India's voter rolls, according to media reports. The demonstrations brought together opposition parties and supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party movement, who defied a security clampdown in the capital. Protesters called for the government to halt the deletion of voters from electoral lists and for Kumar to resign. The march was the latest in a series of confrontations with authorities in recent days.

More than 133 million names have been removed from India's voter lists since last year, according to media reports, against roughly 969 million people eligible to vote in the 2024 general election. The Election Commission of India says the revision is meant to eliminate duplicate, deceased and fraudulent names, and denies any wrongdoing. Critics say the exercise could benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party and claim it has disproportionately affected minorities, particularly Muslims. Authorities deployed thousands of security personnel across central Delhi for a third consecutive day, erecting barricades and closing metro stations.

Local media reports said thousands of protesters, including organisers, were detained over the weekend, though most have since been released, among them three senior leaders of the Cockroach movement. Several journalists covering the protests said they were detained despite displaying press cards. One report said movement leaders were arrested again on Tuesday, a second detention within days, as the standoff over the voter roll revision deepened. The protests have become a significant political challenge for Modi, drawing together opposition parties, student groups and activists.