India Detains Over 2,000 in Anti-Government Protests
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Indian police have arrested more than 2,000 protesters amid anti-government demonstrations across the nation. The protests, demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, erupted in New Delhi, resulting in a city-wide lockdown and stringent security protocols. The United Nations has also voiced concerns regarding the extensive detentions.
In the nation’s capital, security forces apprehended over 2,000 demonstrators, including the founder of the youth movement ‘Kukrooch’. Authorities imposed severe lockdown measures, suspending mobile internet services, closing numerous metro stations and markets, and deploying thousands of security personnel to prevent a planned large gathering by the movement at Jantar Mantar. Local media reported approximately 400 arrests in the city of Mumbai.
Leaders of the ‘Abhijit Debky’ party, ‘Sourav Das’, and ‘Ashutosh Rankha’ were detained immediately upon arriving at the airport. Several opposition representatives and former state government heads, including Mamta Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, and Pinarayi Vijayan, are also in custody. A number of journalists, including a correspondent for Reuters, were briefly detained.
Demand for Election Commissioner’s Resignation
The protests are fueled by demands for the resignation of ‘Gyanesh Kumar’, the Chief Election Commissioner. The core of the demonstrators’ grievance lies in the revision of electoral rolls and the alleged removal of approximately 130 million names. Critics contend this action is an attempt to influence recent state election outcomes and unfairly steer votes towards the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Conversely, the ‘Kukrooch Janata’ movement has condemned the arbitrary arrest of its leaders and affirmed its commitment to continuing protests until Kumar’s resignation. Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition Congress party, stated that Modi’s opponents will not retreat. In response, the ruling party and the Election Commission have denied any wrongdoing, explaining that the removal of names is part of the standard voter list verification and update process, which includes deceased individuals and those who have changed their residence.
UN Expresses Concern Over Indian Protests
On the international stage, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed apprehension over the widespread arrests. ‘Thameen Al-Khaytan’, a spokesperson for the body, urged Indian authorities to uphold the right to peaceful assembly and engage in constructive dialogue with dissenting voices.
In a counter-response, India’s mission to the UN in Geneva dismissed the UN’s concerns as ‘unwarranted and an undue interference in internal affairs,’ asserting that India’s constitution guarantees the right to peaceful assembly subject to reasonable restrictions for the maintenance of public order.
