Indian opposition marches to court over voter roll removals

Thousands of protesters marched through New Delhi on Monday as opposition lawmakers took their challenge to a sweeping voter roll revision to India’s Supreme Court. They say the removal of more than 130 million names could deny eligible people the vote and benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party.

Several lawmakers and their supporters submitted a petition to the chief justice alleging irregularities in the revision, NPR reported. Protesters also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an end to the deletions.

The Election Commission denies wrongdoing. Election authorities say the revision is intended to remove duplicate, deceased and fraudulent entries; Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party also denies that the process is being manipulated. Critics, including opposition parties and supporters of the youth-led Cockroach movement, say it is politically motivated. Al Jazeera reported that critics say the removals have disproportionately affected minorities, particularly Muslims.

More than 133 million names have been removed since last year, according to media reports cited by Al Jazeera. The outlet said about 969 million people were eligible to vote in India’s 2024 elections.

Monday’s march followed a weekend crackdown in the capital. Thousands of protesters, including organizers, were detained, according to local media reports cited by Al Jazeera. Most have since been released, including three top Cockroach movement leaders, the outlet reported. Several journalists said police detained them despite their displaying press cards.

Authorities deployed thousands of security personnel across central Delhi for a third straight day, erected metal barricades and closed key metro stations, Al Jazeera reported. NPR said six stations were closed ahead of Monday’s march and authorities warned of traffic disruptions.

Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi called the protests a fight to defend India’s constitution. “We will not back down,” he told reporters in New Delhi. He briefly rode through the crowd in an open bus, waving a copy of the Constitution as party supporters, student activists and other protesters followed, NPR reported.

Modi has not publicly commented on the protests, according to NPR. The outlet reported that leaders of his party have dismissed the demonstrations, with some calling the activists “anarchists.”

New Delhi police also announced Monday that Jantar Mantar, a longtime protest site, would no longer be a designated venue for rallies. Police said they had chosen three replacement sites. NPR reported that the Cockroach movement held a sit-in at Jantar Mantar earlier this year that lasted for weeks and forced the resignation of Modi’s education minister in July.

The march brought opposition parties and youth activists together in the capital after the weekend detentions. Their central demand remains a halt to the voter roll removals; election authorities maintain that the revision is needed to clean up the lists.