India: Delhi Police has removed Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest venues and announced three alternative locations for demonstrations, amid ongoing protests over the revision of India’s voter lists and demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
According to an official police notice, the newly designated venues are Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi.
The move comes as hundreds of opposition demonstrators marched towards the Supreme Court on Monday, October 12, protesting the removal of millions of names from electoral rolls. The issue has triggered days of unrest in the Indian capital and intensified political tensions involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
Protests Over Voter List Revision
Opposition parties and supporters of the youth movement associated with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) have staged frequent demonstrations this month, demanding Kumar’s resignation.
Critics allege that the voter list revision could benefit Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Election Commission has denied favouring any political party and said voters whose names were wrongly deleted can re-enrol.
The revision process, which began last year, reportedly resulted in more than 130 million names being removed from voter lists. These included approximately 28 million people reported to have died, 63 million who had relocated and 30 million who could not be traced.
Thousands Detained During Weekend Protests
Police detained thousands of demonstrators over the weekend, including leaders of the CJP, as protesters attempted to march through central Delhi. Thousands of security personnel were deployed, and parts of the city centre were placed under restrictions.
The BJP has accused opposition parties of undermining India’s democracy by questioning the legitimacy of the electoral process. Opposition groups, meanwhile, continue to raise concerns about the voter list revision and its potential political implications.
The dispute has placed the Election Commission and the conduct of the electoral process at the centre of a growing political confrontation.
