On October 7, Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was detained by police for the third time in two days as he and fellow opposition lawmakers marched to Jantar Mantar — a designated protest site in the capital, New Delhi — to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
According to a live stream on the YouTube channel of the Congress party, which Gandhi leads, police took him into a vehicle and drove him away. Several other opposition lawmakers and protesters were also detained. Police did not immediately comment on the detentions.
Speaking before he was detained, Gandhi said protesters had gathered without prior notice after Delhi police "blocked" their gathering a day earlier. He said he would go to the designated protest site, sit there and tell the country that Gyanesh Kumar is not a legitimate chief commissioner.
This is the third time in two days that Gandhi has been detained. Previously, on October 6, opposition lawmakers led by him also protested and were dispersed and briefly detained by police.
Opposition parties, affiliated student groups and the youth movement "Cockroach" are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the election body he heads of favoring the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India's Election Commission has so far removed more than 130 million names from the voter rolls, while millions of people are complaining that they have been deleted. About 969 million people were eligible to vote in the 2024 election. Protesters allege the review disproportionately removed voters who support opposition parties, while retaining or adding voters likely to back Modi's party.
The Election Commission and the government reject the allegations. They say the review is not politically motivated but aims to remove duplicate and ineligible entries, while ensuring eligible voters remain registered.
The protests pose a new political challenge to Prime Minister Modi midway through his third term, just months after similar protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party youth movement forced the education minister to resign over an exam paper leak. The "Cockroach" movement — one of the clearest expressions of public dissent against Modi's administration in recent years — reflects growing discontent over unemployment, corruption and a lack of government accountability.
