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Indian authorities tightened security across the capital and shut a park in central New Delhi on Friday ahead of a flag-waving rally organised by the youth-led “Cockroach” movement, which is demanding the resignation of the country’s election chief. Protests by young people and opposition parties have intensified over a revision of voter lists that has removed more than 130 million names since last year. Critics allege the process is politically motivated, risks disenfranchising millions more voters and disproportionately affects minorities, particularly Muslims. They have called for Election Commission chief Gyanesh Kumar to step down. The Election Commission and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government have rejected the allegations, saying the exercise aims to eliminate duplicate and ineligible entries from voter lists. Friday’s rally is part of an expanding protest campaign that has increased pressure on Modi’s government. It comes a week after police cracked down on demonstrators in New Delhi. Modi has yet to publicly address the protests. Some leaders from his party have labelled the demonstrators “anarchists” and claimed, without providing evidence, that foreign powers are supporting them. “Waving the tricolor (Indian flag) is not a crime,” Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the “Cockroach” movement, said Thursday. He called on supporters unable to reach the capital to wave the national flag and hold demonstrations in their local communities. Police urged people to stay away from the rally but said a small group could be permitted to wave the national flag and sing the national anthem at an authorised venue. The movement emerged this summer as an online satirical campaign after India’s chief justice compared unemployed young people to parasites. Many young Indians adopted the cockroach as a symbol of resilience. The campaign has since evolved into a nationwide youth protest movement. Demonstrations organised by the group forced Modi’s education minister to resign in July, marking a rare setback for the prime minister, who has been in power for more than 12 years.

A court in India has sentenced two leaders of the youth-led “Cockroach” movement to five days in jail after police detained them during a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the group said on Wednesday. Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were among around a dozen people detained on Tuesday after climbing over barricades to enter the grounds of Jantar Mantar, a historic observatory in central New Delhi that has long been used for protests. Police said the site was no longer an officially designated protest venue and accused Ranka and Das of trespassing and violating prohibitory orders. The arrests came after a major police crackdown over the weekend to prevent mostly young demonstrators from gathering in New Delhi to demand Kumar’s resignation. Police briefly detained thousands of protesters. “Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of India. We will reclaim it,” opposition leader Rahul Gandhi wrote on X, condemning the arrests as “an act of cowardice.” The protests have grown over a nationwide revision of voter lists that has removed more than 130 million names since last year. Critics allege that the process is politically motivated and could prevent millions of eligible voters from casting their ballots. However, the Election Commission and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government say the exercise aims to remove duplicate and ineligible entries from the lists. Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the “Cockroach” movement, also criticised Modi in a post on X. “If you're so determined to crush dissent, have the courage to officially declare an Emergency instead of hiding behind these cowardly tactics,” Dipke wrote. The “Cockroach” movement emerged as an online satirical campaign this summer after India’s chief justice compared unemployed young people to parasites. Many young Indians adopted the cockroach as a symbol of resilience in response to the remark. Protests organised by the group led to the resignation of Modi’s education minister in July, marking a rare political setback for the prime minister, who has been in power for more than 12 years.  

India’s “Cockroach” youth movement has called for fresh protests in Mumbai on Friday, demanding the resignation of the country’s chief election commissioner over controversial changes to voter lists. The movement, which started as an online campaign and now calls itself the Cockroach Janata Party, forced India’s education minister to resign in July following street protests. Friday’s rally in Mumbai is expected to mark the beginning of a new nationwide protest campaign. Separately, a coalition of student and civil society organizations planned to hold a demonstration Friday at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest venue in New Delhi, making the same demand. The protests come as pressure grows on India’s Election Commission, which is responsible for conducting elections across the country. Opposition parties and critics accuse the commission of changing voter registrations in ways they say could benefit the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The commission and the government have denied the allegations. Election Commission faces reported internal disagreementThe Indian Express reported last month that two of the three election commissioners had formally raised objections to several decisions concerning voter list revisions, registration procedures and the commission’s digital systems. The newspaper reported that the two commissioners questioned the legality of some of the decisions, but Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar rejected their concerns. Under Indian law, the three-member Election Commission makes decisions by majority vote. The commission disputed the report, saying it reflected “differing views and deliberations” among the commissioners rather than formal written objections. Voter revisions remove millions of namesThe voter list revisions began last year in the eastern state of Bihar ahead of state elections and have since been expanded to most Indian states and federally administered territories. The process, known as Special Intensive Revision, has faced criticism over the documents required to prove voter eligibility. Critics say the requirements are confusing and difficult for many people to meet, potentially leaving millions without registration and unable to vote. Election Commission data indicates that voter lists in some areas could decline by as much as 30%. The commission says the revisions are intended to remove duplicate and ineligible entries while ensuring that all eligible voters remain registered. Opposition parties and activists, however, say the process could exclude legitimate voters. They have also accused Chief Election Commissioner Kumar of political bias and alleged that the revisions could benefit Modi’s party. The Election Commission and the BJP have rejected the allegations. ‘Cockroach’ movement broadens its political agendaThe youth movement emerged earlier this year amid anger over high youth unemployment and leaked examination papers and has since developed into a broader political force. Led by Abhijeet Dipke, the movement gained national attention by organizing large protests over examination paper leaks. The demonstrations eventually led to the resignation of India’s education minister, marking a major political setback for Modi’s government. Since then, the movement has expanded its focus beyond education to issues including government accountability and democratic institutions.