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Citizens pass through a checkpoint flanked by police officers on alert for protests in New Delhi, India, on the 11th (local time). / Yonhap News, Reuters

Indian authorities locked down parts of the capital Delhi and detained more than 2,000 people to suppress demonstrations demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner. Founders of a youth movement organization and former state chief ministers were among those taken into custody.

According to Reuters on the 11th (local time), an Indian Ministry of Home Affairs official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that over 2,000 people were detained in Delhi the previous day. Local media reported that approximately 400 people were also detained in the financial hub of Mumbai. Police did not immediately issue a statement regarding the detentions.

The rally never got underway. The youth movement group 'Cockroach People's Party' (CJP) had planned to gather thousands at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi, but security forces cordoned off the area prior to the demonstration's start. Police previously noted that permission for the assembly had not been granted.

With thousands of police and paramilitary forces deployed, mobile internet services were severed in central business districts, and dozens of metro stations and markets were closed. Checkpoints were erected across the capital of roughly 20 million residents, and security personnel boarded buses to identify demonstrators.

CJP leaders were also taken into custody. In a statement, CJP said founder Abhijeet Dipke and two executives were detained by police immediately upon arriving in Delhi on a flight from Mumbai. Broadcast footage showed Dipke confronting a police officer who approached him inside the aircraft, stating: "I came to get arrested. Arrest me... I'm not afraid of you."

The officer replied, "This is not an arrest. Please cooperate." CJP condemned the move as an "authoritarian detention" and demanded the leadership's release.

Opposition politicians and journalists were not spared. According to local media, several opposition lawmakers, former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were detained. Two digital outlets reported that four of their reporters covering the protests were briefly held by police, and a Reuters journalist was also temporarily detained before being released.

Protesters targeted Gyanesh Kumar, the Chief Election Commissioner of the Election Commission of India (ECI). As the election commission verified rolls covering nearly one billion voters and removed roughly 130 million names, the opposition asserted that the purge disproportionately benefited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

According to ECI data, the purged rolls included 63 million migrants, 30 million individuals whose whereabouts were unknown, and 28 million deceased voters. CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde stated, "We will continue protests tomorrow and the day after until Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resigns. We will take to the streets."

The opposition argues that the voter roll removals swayed actual election outcomes. In Bihar and West Bengal, large numbers of voters whose names were struck from the rolls were unable to cast ballots, and the BJP assumed power in West Bengal for the first time in May. Opposition parties claim that minorities such as Muslims, who are considered less likely to support the ruling party, were disproportionately removed.

Internal dissent within the election commission served as the catalyst that spread protests nationwide. The Indian Express reported late last month that two election commissioners serving under Chief Commissioner Kumar had raised concerns over roll cleanups, registration procedures, and digital system issues at least 14 times over a 10-month period, but their objections were dismissed.

Following this, the opposition and CJP launched nationwide protests. CJP previously drove the education minister to resign in July through weeks of demonstrations protesting exam paper leaks.

Both the ECI and the BJP deny the allegations. While Chief Commissioner Kumar has not issued a statement, the ECI maintained that differences of opinion during internal deliberations are normal and that all decisions were lawful, adding that mistakenly removed voters can re-register.

The BJP criticized the opposition for peddling disinformation, arguing that election victories stemmed from Modi's popularity and economic growth. Senior BJP figure Ravi Shankar Prasad noted that while he does not oppose protests themselves, losing rivals had "weaponized" street demonstrations. Rahul Gandhi of the main opposition Indian National Congress said anti-Modi forces would not back down.

The United Nations also voiced concern. The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) expressed worry over the sweeping detentions before and during the protests, with spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan urging in a statement that "authorities must ensure that the right to peaceful assembly is fully respected and guaranteed."

India's permanent mission in Geneva pushed back, calling the UN's concerns "misplaced" and an "unwarranted interference in India's internal affairs." It explained that while the right to assembly is constitutionally protected, it remains subject to reasonable restrictions to maintain public order, as in other democracies.

Reuters assessed the protests as among the most serious tests confronting Prime Minister Modi. The demonstrations are unfolding ahead of major state elections set to run from early next year. At least seven states will head to the polls, including the BJP-governed Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state and a recognized national political bellwether.

According to local media, verification efforts launched in October last year resulted in the removal of 13 percent of the voter rolls in Uttar Pradesh.

                                                                                                              Jeong Ri-na