Authorities in New Delhi are bracing for another confrontation on Friday over India’s contentious voter-roll revision, with police set to restrict a planned demonstration by the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party.
The movement’s founder Abhijeet Dipke called on supporters to gather at Connaught Place, one of the capital’s main commercial districts, as a standoff with authorities deepens over the arrest of two of its leaders. He also urged supporters elsewhere in the country to hold similar demonstrations.
The opposition Aam Aadmi Party, which governs Punjab state, has also pledged to support the protest, part of a broader campaign over allegations that millions of eligible voters were improperly removed from electoral rolls.
In response, Delhi police said prohibitory orders were in place “to maintain peace and tranquillity in Connaught Place and its adjoining areas and to protect human lives and public and private property.”
Traffic police restricted access to major roads around Connaught Place and advised commuters to allow extra travel time and use public transport where possible.
The confrontation sets the stage for another test of authorities’ handling of the protests after thousands of people were detained and parts of the capital effectively locked down last weekend. Officials said Central Park, where Friday’s demonstration is planned, will be closed for two days.
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The political tensions come as India’s otherwise strong growth story faces mounting pressure. The country remains the world’s fastest-growing major economy, but a weak rupee, foreign investment outflows and rising inflation are adding to the challenges facing the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The dispute over Friday’s gathering follows growing restrictions on CJP’s protests. Leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were jailed for five days earlier this week after crossing police barricades to enter Jantar Mantar, which authorities recently removed as a designated protest site. The two were later jailed on charges including trespassing.
Amnesty International India called for their immediate release, saying the arrests and removal of Jantar Mantar as an authorized protest venue threatened the rights to peaceful assembly and dissent.
Ahead of the planned protest, the Delhi High Court declined to block it after police assured they would take all legally permitted measures to regulate the gathering, local media reported.
The controversy centers on the removal of 130 million names from draft electoral rolls under a nationwide exercise to verify voter eligibility, prompting opposition parties to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. They have also called for an independent investigation into the deletions.
The Election Commission has rejected allegations of wrongdoing, saying the revision is intended to remove duplicate, deceased and ineligible voters.
Leaders of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party have defended the exercise and accused the opposition of seeking to undermine democratic institutions following electoral defeats. Modi hasn’t publicly commented on the latest protests.
