Student and civil society groups protested in New Delhi on Friday, October 2, demanding the resignation of India's chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, over a nationwide revision of voter rolls. Police blocked access to the Jantar Mantar protest site and detained some demonstrators and opposition leaders, the Associated Press reported. The youth-led Cockroach Janata Party planned a separate rally in Mumbai.
The dispute concerns the Special Intensive Revision, a voter verification exercise that began in Bihar last year and expanded to most Indian states and territories. The Election Commission says it is removing duplicate, deceased and ineligible entries while keeping eligible citizens registered. Critics say demanding documents to establish eligibility could remove legitimate voters and prevent them from casting ballots.
AP reported that police barricaded Jantar Mantar, a designated demonstration venue, and stopped student and civic groups from assembling there on Friday. Reuters photographs also showed officers detaining protesters in the capital. The Cockroach Janata Party said its Mumbai event would start a wider campaign; reporting available by Friday morning did not establish how many people had attended that planned rally.
Scrutiny of Kumar grew after the Indian Express reported last month that his two fellow election commissioners had questioned decisions on voter lists, registration procedures and digital systems. Reuters said the newspaper described at least 14 objections over ten months. The commission disputed the account of formal objections and said differing views are part of normal deliberation and that its actions complied with the law.
Opposition parties and activists allege that changes to registrations favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party. The commission, the government and the party reject allegations of manipulation or political bias. The competing claims have made the accuracy of voter lists and the commission's independence central issues in a country where the agency administers national and state elections.
The Cockroach Janata Party emerged from youth anger about unemployment and examination paper leaks. Its earlier protests preceded the education minister's resignation in July, according to AP and Reuters. Reuters reported that opposition parties led by Congress plan further demonstrations demanding Kumar's resignation on October 6. The commission has announced no change to the verification exercise in response to Friday's protests.
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