United News of Bangladesh

Thousands of supporters of India's youth-led “Cockroach” movement and several student organizations rallied in Bengaluru on Thursday, intensifying a nationwide campaign demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a voter-list revision that has removed more than 130 million names. The protest in the southern Indian city came a day after opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was briefly detained by police during a demonstration in New Delhi. Images showing police pulling Gandhi into a vehicle spread widely on social media, giving fresh momentum to protests against Kumar. Gandhi's Congress party has announced plans for more demonstrations in New Delhi later Thursday. The voter-list review, known as the Special Intensive Revision, has been conducted across most Indian states and federally administered territories. More than 130 million names have so far been removed from the rolls, a figure larger than the populations of countries such as Japan and Mexico. Millions of people have appealed against the deletions. Opposition parties allege that the removals have disproportionately affected their supporters, while voters considered more likely to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party have been retained or added to the rolls. The Election Commission and the government reject those claims, saying the review is intended to remove duplicate and ineligible voter entries. People whose names have been deleted can appeal, but restoring their names can be difficult. Critics say the requirements are complicated and some applicants may not have documents such as older government records needed to prove their eligibility. Public anger grew further last month after an investigation by the Indian Express newspaper reported that two election commissioners had raised concerns about the process. The “Cockroach” movement has played a major role in the campaign. It began as an online youth initiative in May before expanding into street protests across India. Earlier nationwide demonstrations, sit-ins and hunger strikes by the movement over exam paper leaks eventually led to the resignation of India's education minister in July. Protesters are demanding Kumar's resignation and an end to the removal of names from voter lists, warning that the process could prevent millions more people from voting. The protests pose a political challenge to Modi halfway through his third term, as opposition parties seek to turn public anger into a wider national movement. Gandhi has also emerged as one of the prominent faces of the campaign. The “Cockroach” movement has called for further protests in New Delhi from Saturday. Thousands are expected to march to Jantar Mantar, the capital's designated protest site, where police have already put up barricades ahead of the demonstrations.