Indian opposition leaders protest again following detentions over voter roll deletions

Indian opposition lawmakers are preparing for another day of demonstrations after police detained protesting politicians for a second time. According to DW and The Times of India, opposition leaders are calling for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign over allegations of mass voter deletions. [1][2]

DW reported that Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke led protests in the southern city of Bengaluru against the removal of voters from electoral rolls. Protesters chanted slogans accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of vote theft and stated that demonstrations would continue until Gyanesh Kumar steps down. [1]

India Today and Swarajya reported that 42 former judges have publicly defended the Election Commission of India. The former judges stated that constitutional bodies in the country are facing sustained attacks amid the opposition protests. [4][5]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, police increased security around the Election Commission of India in Delhi ahead of planned demonstrations. Reports indicated that 130 million people were removed from the country's voter roll as Narendra Modi marked 25 years in public service. [8]