‘People have a right to seek answers-: Inside India-s unrest over the electoral process

‘People have a right to seek answers-: Inside India-s unrest over the electoral process

Protests over a voter-list overhaul that put more than 130 million names at risk have expanded into a broader political confrontation
The administration in the Indian capital, New Delhi, has been on its toes since last week as Indian opposition parties and an informal movement known as Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) are staging protests over the removal of millions of names from. 
New Delhi became a fortress over the weekend, with barricades made of iron and armed personnel stationed at nearly all major intersections ahead of the protests. Still, people showed up, thousands were detained, and the formal opposition parties took the baton with a massive march towards the Supreme Court on Monday.
The key demand of the protesters is the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner over allegations that a country-wide revision of the electoral database is helping the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to stay in power and win elections across states. Both the BJP and the Election Commission have rejected the accusations. 


CJP back in actionThe CJP, a youth movement born out of an online meme, became prominent earlier this year for staging massive protests against irregularities in the examination system that eventually led to the resignation of the country’s education minister.
This time, the protests are challenging the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls done by the Election Commission of India earlier this year. The CJP and formal opposition parties allege that the SIR exercise caused the widespread and irresponsible deletion of people from electoral rolls. Reports say there have been 130 million names deleted from the provisional electoral rolls through the ongoing revision process. The Election Commission says this is necessary to eliminate duplicate names, names of deceased people, and those who have migrated. It also maintained that it operated strictly under constitutional and legal frameworks.
On Saturday, thousands of young activists, students, and opposition leaders gathered around Jantar Mantar and several other prominent locations in the center of the Indian capital. This is despite warnings from the police and the lack of official permission to protest.
Police personne have been deployed at the NoidaDelhi Chilla Border amid the 'Cockroach Janata Party' protest on October 11, 2026 in New Delhi, India. ©  Sunil Ghosh/Hindustan Times via Getty Images The Delhi Police formally denied permission for the Jantar Mantar protest on Saturday, citing public order and traffic concerns. A 24-hour temporary mobile internet shutdown was enforced across central Delhi and key border points. Entry and exit were restricted or closed across 57 Delhi Metro stations around the central corridor, and over 60 incoming regional trains were canceled or short-terminated.
Over 23,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across central intersections, converting locations like Connaught Place and Janpath into restricted zones.
We have a right to protest against the Election Commissioner, Ariba Fahim, 19, a student activist who was detained briefly near INA on Saturday during the demonstration, said.
Shiv Tanakiya, 21, a college student who traveled from Meerut in the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh a day before the protest, said young people have a right to seek accountability from the government.
We are the youth of this country wanting to be heard. We live in a democracy. We are not doing this at the behest of any opposition party, but this is a concern for the whole country, he said. 
Protesters climb over police barricades during a rally on October 12, 2026 in New Delhi, India. ©  Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images Early Saturday morning, key CJP organizers Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka were taken into preventive custody directly from an incoming flight at Delhi Airport. After over 24 hours of pre