India: Arrests ahead of Gen Z “Cockroach” movement's mass protest in Delhi

In India, the dispute over the revision of voter rolls is coming to a head. The youth-led “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) reported the detention of numerous activists from across the country, including its spokesperson. A group of students from Pune who wanted to travel to Saturday's mass rally in Delhi was taken away on a bus to an unknown location. Police did not immediately comment; Reuters could not independently verify the claims.

The movement and opposition parties are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. They accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling BJP of using the voter-roll revision to tilt elections in its favour. The Election Commission and the BJP deny this. On Wednesday, police briefly detained opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on his way to a protest; a BJP spokesperson dismissed Congress allegations of “brute force” as the work of an “irresponsible, anarchist opposition”.

For the rally scheduled for Saturday at Jantar Mantar, Delhi police had announced diversions at 30 locations and tighter security around government buildings. No reports on its course were initially available. The protests are seen as a new political challenge for Modi midway through his third term. Earlier this year, the CJP forced the education minister to resign with protests over exam scandals.