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Indian opposition leaders led a march to the Supreme Court in New Delhi on Monday as protests intensified over alleged deletions from electoral rolls.
The demonstrations followed a report last month that two election commissioners had raised concerns with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar about decisions on voter-list revisions in several states and federal territories. Protesters have called for Kumar to resign.
Opposition parties say the revision process removed a large number of voters. The Election Commission of India has said its actions “have been in accordance with laws and instructions of the Commission.”
Over the weekend, security forces briefly detained several thousand young people after foiling a march called by the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party to Jantar Mantar, a designated protest area in the capital. Police also detained several senior opposition figures, including former chief ministers. Young people and student groups held flash marches despite a large security deployment.
On Monday afternoon, opposition leaders and a large number of protesters set off for the Supreme Court, demanding an end to what they called “voter theft.” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said earlier that day: “It is a fight to save the Constitution.”
The Congress said it would file a petition with the Supreme Court. “We have to fight this battle every day, we must not stop, we must not retreat. We will be stopped every day, but we must stay firm and not get tired,” Gandhi said at a news briefing.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party said the Congress was attacking constitutional institutions to gain power. Last week, the BJP had accused opposition parties and “foreign powers” of seeking to destabilise the country.
“It cannot win the hearts of the people, so the frustrated Congress now wants the chair by defaming constitutional institutions, spreading anarchy and riots on the streets, lying, and misleading,” Indian Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told reporters.
Delhi Police said on Monday that Jantar Mantar, a central Delhi location designated for demonstrations, was no longer an official protest site. Police said three new venues had been identified.
