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India cracks down on youth protests as anger grows against Modi and election chief
NPR • • general
Key Points:
- Indian authorities launched a major security crackdown in New Delhi, detaining thousands of protesters from the youth-led "Cockroach" movement opposing a controversial voter list revision linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
- Police intercepted demonstrators before they could reach the designated protest site at Jantar Mantar, detaining key movement leaders and imposing strict restrictions including barricades, checkpoints, and mobile internet limitations.
- The protests challenge the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision, which has removed over 130 million names from voter lists; opposition parties claim the revision disproportionately disenfranchises voters likely to oppose Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.
- The "Cockroach" movement, which gained prominence earlier this year through protests over exam paper leaks leading to a minister's resignation, is using the voter list dispute to expand its campaign against Modi amid upcoming state elections.
- Opposition leaders condemned the crackdown as suppression of dissent, while government and election officials deny allegations of voter manipulation, asserting the revision aims to remove duplicates and ineligible entries.
