NEW DELHI: Hundreds of opposition party demonstrators marched to India’s Supreme Court on Monday to protest the removal of millions of names from voter lists that has sparked days of unrest in the Indian capital and challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Opposition parties and supporters of the “cockroach” youth movement have taken to the streets almost daily this month to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the revision that critics say benefits Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The change that started last year led to over 130 million names – more than the population of Japan – being struck from voter lists, including 28 million who had died, 63 million who had relocated, and 30 million who could not be traced.
Police detained thousands of protesters over the weekend, including leaders of the ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ (CJP), as supporters of the youth movement sought to march in protest and were stopped by thousands of security personnel who locked down central Delhi.
India detains protesters, locks down Delhi ahead of rally against election chief
The Election Commission has denied favouring any party and said wrongly deleted voters can re-enrol, while the BJP has accused its rivals of trying to undermine the country’s democracy by wrongly questioning legitimate electoral processes.
Opposition parties are marching to the Supreme Court to file a petition over the voter list revision after Chief Justice Surya Kant declined their request for a meeting.
Kant said the issues were already before the court and discussing pending cases would violate judicial ethics and propriety, and suggested the opposition file a petition instead.
Hundreds of people, including opposition party members and left-wing student groups, marched to the court on Monday, while leaders travelled by bus.
“The fundamental values of this country are being assaulted, institutions are losing their independence…I am here to protest against this assault,” said Anirudh Siyag, a PhD student who joined the protest.
Authorities closed six metro stations for 10 hours and restricted traffic along over 20 stretches in anticipation of the demonstration.
Indian opposition protest police action against lawmakers, push for poll chief’s resignation
Hundreds of security personnel in anti-riot gear were also deployed in central Delhi, with key roads barricaded and water cannons on standby.
New sites for protests
The BJP said the protests were the main opposition Congress party’s attempt to seize power.
“By discrediting constitutional institutions, spreading chaos and riots on the streets, and attacking people in the name of politics, all it seeks is a return to power,” Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told reporters.
Delhi Police announced that Jantar Mantar in the central business district was no longer designated as an official protest site and three new venues had been identified, according to an official order seen by Reuters.
CJP supporters had staged a sit-in for weeks earlier this year at Jantar Mantar, a historic observatory and a well-known protest site for decades, to force Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to quit over exam paper leaks.
India detains thousands, locks down Delhi to foil election chief protest
Separately, CJP leaders met Delhi Police to “demand” a date for a peaceful protest, threatening to announce a new protest call if a date is not given within 24 hours.
The youth movement, which has mobilised protests in recent months against issues ranging from government school infrastructure to jobs, is one of the biggest political challenges to Modi and his BJP in his 12 years in power.
The protests erupted after the Indian Express newspaper reported last month that Kumar’s two deputies raised several concerns internally about voter list revisions, registration procedures and digital systems.
Opposition parties allege Muslim voters and other minorities, who are unlikely to support the Hindu nationalist ruling party, are disproportionately affected by the deletions – charges both the poll panel and BJP reject.