India rejected United Nations criticism after Delhi Police detained thousands of people attempting to join a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. New Delhi called the concerns raised by the UN human rights office misplaced interference in India’s internal affairs and said peaceful assembly was constitutionally protected, subject to restrictions intended to preserve public order.
The protest was organized by the Cockroach Janta Party and allied youth groups over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls. Opposition parties and protesters allege that the exercise removed or affected millions of eligible voters; the Election Commission and government reject claims of manipulation and say the revision is intended to remove duplicate and ineligible entries.
Police denied permission for the demonstration, citing the timing of the application, and imposed extensive restrictions around central Delhi. Mobile internet access was limited, transport routes were disrupted, Jantar Mantar was barricaded and checkpoints were placed on roads leading into the capital. The authorities also warned against group gatherings in parts of New Delhi.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained after arriving from Mumbai. Opposition figures including Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar were also detained while trying to join the protest, along with other lawmakers, student activists, lawyers and journalists. Most were released, including YouTube activist Dhruv Rathee.
The UN human rights office urged India to respect peaceful assembly, apply strict tests of necessity and proportionality to protest restrictions, use restraint and engage with demonstrators’ concerns. India responded that its authorities acted within the law and that courts remained available to address grievances, while urging the UN office to show comparable attention to large protests elsewhere.
The movement nevertheless called another Jantar Mantar demonstration, prompting Delhi Police to retain heavy security and warn that people organizing protests in the New Delhi area would be detained.