Indian police have detained over 7,000 people in Delhi in an attempt to thwart a planned protest against Election Commission Chairman Gyanesh Kumar. According to data quoted by the Indian national news agency PTI, about 2,000 of the arrests were made in the central areas of the capital.
The demonstration was to take place in the area of the historic astronomical complex “Jantar Mantar“. The site remained empty after authorities deployed over 30,000 security personnel and set up cordons in central Delhi.
Forty-five metro stations were temporarily closed and internet access was suspended within a 4-kilometer radius around the complex. Enhanced checks were carried out at entrances to Delhi and other places designated as security-sensitive.
Opposition challenges revision of voter lists
The protest was organized by the “Cockroach People's Party“ over the so-called Special Intensive Revision of voter lists. The opposition claims that the new administrative requirement could delete the names of millions of legitimate voters. Election Commission Chairman Gyanesh Kumar denies the allegations.
Delhi Police said the organizers had not been granted permission to protest in the Jantar Mantar area. Deputy Commissioner of Police Nupur Prasad said the application was submitted three days before the planned event, while the requirement is to notify the authorities at least 10 days in advance.
The Cockroach People's Party has not been granted permission to stage a protest in the Jantar Mantar area, Nupur Prasad said.Opposition leaders detained
Among those detained are former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the All India Trinamool Congress and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, as well as Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar.
The leaders of the satirical opposition party Abhijit Deepke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained on board a plane arriving in Delhi from Mumbai.
The chairman of the ruling Indian People's Party, Nitin Nabin, accused opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and representatives of the “Cockroach People's Party“, of trying to destabilize India with the support of foreign powers.
Protests against the revision of voter lists continue amid a dispute over the role of the Election Commission and opposition demands for the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar.
Sources: bta.bg, apnews.com, indianexpress.com