India’s Cockroach movement says members detained as protests continue

What the report says

India’s CJP opposition and student-led movement said on Thursday that authorities detained a large number of its supporters as protests continued over a disputed revision of voter lists and demands for the election chief’s resignation. The demonstrations took place in several cities, including New Delhi and Bengaluru, and came ahead of a larger protest planned for Saturday at Jantar Mantar in the capital. Al Jazeera reported that the group said at least 10,000 people linked to CJP, student organizations, grassroots allies and other political parties had been detained, though the outlet said it could not immediately verify the claim.

Among those the movement said were taken into custody was its national spokesperson, Deepak Baliyan. CJP also said a group of students traveling from Pune to join the New Delhi rally were detained and moved away by bus. Videos posted on social media appeared to show activists being taken away by police. The article noted that the opposition has also alleged that recent voter-roll changes favored Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, while election officials and the government deny any political intent.

The dispute matters because India’s Election Commission has removed more than 130 million names from voter lists, prompting millions of appeals, and critics say the process could affect voting access before future elections. Protesters in Bengaluru held signs saying every vote should count, while opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was briefly detained earlier in the week during related demonstrations.