Modi is in trouble

What the report says

Al Jazeera published an opinion piece on October 11, 2026, arguing that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing a serious political crisis after a wave of protests over changes to the voter rolls. The article says demonstrations linked to the so-called Cockroach Janta Party movement spread across New Delhi and other cities on October 10, with police blocking access to protest sites, detaining activists and journalists, and disrupting travel and internet access.

According to the piece, the protests were aimed at reversing the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which the author describes as a major threat to voting rights and democratic institutions. The article says senior figures associated with the movement, including Ratna Singh, Abhijeet Dipke and Dhruv Rathee, were detained before the march, and that Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson, was also held. It adds that by evening at least 2,500 protesters and 15 journalists had been detained in New Delhi.

The author portrays the unrest as part of a longer erosion of democracy under Modi, and says opposition leaders led by Rahul Gandhi met President Draupadi Murmu to complain that the government had undermined the democratic framework. The article also says the election chief, Gyanesh Kumar, faces criticism over the voter-roll exercise. As presented by Al Jazeera, the protests are seen as an early sign that resistance to Modi and his government may intensify in the weeks ahead.