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Indian Police Detain Youth Movement Leaders in Election Protest
NEW DELHI — October 13, 2026
Indian police detained leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-led protest movement, on Tuesday after demonstrators entered the grounds of a historic observatory in New Delhi to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The protest centres on a controversial revision of voter lists that opposition groups say could benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The detentions came amid almost daily demonstrations over changes that removed more than 130 million names from India's voter lists. Opposition parties allege that the revisions disproportionately affect Muslim voters and other minority groups, while the Election Commission denies favouring any political party.
The CJP said its leaders Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya Shinde were among around 20 volunteers detained after entering the grounds of Jantar Mantar, a historic observatory in central New Delhi that has long been associated with public demonstrations.
A livestream shared by the movement showed volunteers climbing over a gate and barricades before reaching the site. They waved the Indian flag and chanted slogans demanding Kumar's resignation before police detained them.
The movement said its members had entered the grounds to reclaim a protest venue that authorities had recently removed from the list of officially designated demonstration sites. Its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, criticised the decision in a social media post. Delhi Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday's detentions.
The latest incident followed a police crackdown on a planned CJP demonstration over the weekend. The movement said about 20 volunteers were detained on Tuesday, while reports of the earlier crackdown said thousands of protesters had been taken into custody.
On Monday, Delhi Police announced that Jantar Mantar would no longer be an officially designated protest site and that three alternative locations had been identified. The change came as opposition groups organised a protest march attended by thousands of people.
The demonstrations began after a report published by The Indian Express last month raised questions about the voter-list revision process. The report said two deputy election commissioners had raised internal concerns about revisions, voter registration procedures and digital systems.
The revision began last year and removed more than 130 million names from the electoral rolls. The reported categories included 28 million people who had died, 63 million who had moved elsewhere and 30 million who could not be traced.
Opposition parties argue that the deletions could weaken their electoral support by disproportionately affecting Muslim voters and other minorities. The Election Commission has rejected allegations of political bias and said people whose names were wrongly removed can register again. The BJP has accused its opponents of undermining public confidence in legitimate electoral procedures.
The Election Commission's position has not changed despite the protests, and the allegations of favouritism remain disputed. The controversy has added to political pressure on the government and election authorities as opposition groups continue to question the fairness of the voter-registration process.
The CJP has also organised demonstrations over wider public concerns, including government school conditions, employment opportunities and examination paper leaks. Earlier this year, a weeks-long sit-in by its supporters over exam leaks preceded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The latest detentions highlight the growing dispute over voter registration and the right to protest in India's capital. The movement and opposition groups continue to demand accountability, while the election authorities maintain that the revisions are legitimate and that eligible voters can seek to restore wrongly deleted registrations.
