Police in New Delhi detained demonstrators on Saturday during a second day of protests against voter-roll changes and calls for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign.
Indian police detained several people in New Delhi on Saturday, breaking up a second day of protests against changes to voter rolls, Reuters reported. The demonstrations were backed by the Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party and other opposition groups.
About 100 demonstrators removed security barricades and chanted for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to step down before police detained some of them. A Reuters witness saw independent MP Kapil Sibal, All India Students' Association president Neha Bora, and activists Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav among the protesters.
On Friday, police stopped a gathering and put protesters on buses. Several nearby metro stations stayed closed. A police source told Reuters that many of those detained on Friday were released, while several were charged with allegedly violating orders banning mass gatherings.
Critics say a nationwide voter-verification exercise launched last year has removed millions of eligible voters. The Election Commission says the exercise is meant to remove duplicate, deceased or ineligible entries.
The Hindu reported that protests against the chief election commissioner continued and that Rahul Gandhi launched a digital platform he called Satyagraha. Police have not published a full arrest count for Saturday.