Newsletters
Police detained key leaders of India’s youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday after they entered an iconic protest site in New Delhi that officers had blocked, the group said.
Opposition groups and movement supporters have filled the streets in recent days despite a security crackdown, demanding that the chief of India’s election commission resign. They accuse the body of manipulating voter rolls to favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party.
The Election Commission of India, which oversees voting in the world’s most populous country, has rejected the accusations.
Delhi Police said Monday it had struck Jantar Mantar, in the heart of the capital, from its list of designated official protest sites. Yellow metal barricades and a heavy security presence have kept the area closed for several days.
CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke posted footage on Tuesday of protesters scaling the barricades at Jantar Mantar and waving India’s flag before officers chased them. The group said Delhi Police detained leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde.
Delhi Police named three alternative venues on Monday to replace Jantar Mantar, a spot where activists have rallied for decades. CJP demonstrations there in July ended with the education minister resigning over an exam scandal. "You cannot denotify the resistance," Dipke said while tagging Modi in the post.
Speaking at a business conference in New Delhi on Tuesday, Modi described India as the “mother of democracy” but made no direct reference to the protests. “In our country, people openly debate a wide range of issues and discuss different perspectives,” he said.
Set as preferred source
2 min read
