Indian authorities have tightened security in New Delhi after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called a fresh protest against the jailing of two of its activists. CJP supporters have been urged to gather at Central Park in New Delhi at 5 p.m. local time (11:30 GMT).
Thousands of additional police officers were deployed across the Indian capital on Friday as the government appeared to brace for further confrontations. Officials closed the park on "administrative" grounds and set up metal barricades at key intersections.
The march follows the sentencing of two movement leaders this week to five days in jail on charges of illegally entering a protest site. The CJP, a youth-led movement, has staged a wave of demonstrations in recent weeks demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner. Its protests have all been met with heavy crackdowns.
In a social media post, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke accused the government of hypocrisy and condemned police crackdowns. He argued that members of the government might never have come to power had they faced similar restrictions on protest.
"The party in power today spent decades holding protests, taking to the streets and questioning the governments of the day when it was in opposition," Dipke said. "If the same restrictions, threats and police crackdowns had been applied to them, many of those now holding office might never have reached their current positions."
Dipke also suggested police might seek to arrest him before the protest, but declared that he and his supporters were "unafraid" and "ready" to go to jail.
This is the latest march to face a crackdown by authorities. The CJP has held near-daily protests this month demanding electoral reforms and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The CJP accuses Kumar of voter fraud after he oversaw the removal of more than 130 million names from voter rolls. The election body said the changes were meant to eliminate duplicate entries, deceased voters and fraud.
The CJP was founded in May amid anger over exam paper leaks and the bleak prospects facing young Indians. The movement quickly became a voice for Generation Z, many of whom feel disenfranchised by the unemployment crisis under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's right-wing government. It has already forced the education minister to resign.
While political opposition parties have quickly backed the protests, Modi is under intense pressure, with some analysts saying he is facing his most serious crisis since taking office in 2014.
