NEW DELHI (The Thursday Times) — Protests over alleged voter-roll fraud are gathering pace across India, with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) set to hold another demonstration at Delhi’s Connaught Place on Friday after the Delhi High Court refused to restrain it, and student groups, opposition parties and rights organisations pressing the government from the streets, the courts and the United Nations.
The CJP has called a “Lehra Do Tiranga” protest at Central Park, Connaught Place, at 5 pm on Friday, October 16. The Delhi High Court on Thursday declined a petitioner’s plea to restrain it, according to The Statesman. Founder Abhijeet Dipke announced the protest after two party leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were remanded to five days of judicial custody. “Waving a tricolour is not a crime,” he said, urging supporters to bring national flags and those who cannot reach Delhi to hold “Tiranga marches” where they are.
The CJP says Das and Ranka were jailed only for unfurling the tricolour at Jantar Mantar. Police say they breached barricades and entered the site, which police recently removed from the list of designated protest venues in Delhi. Delhi Police planned a high-level meeting on Thursday on security and traffic arrangements for Friday, The Week reported.
AISA president Neha Bora said the movement is continuing across the country, from Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to Mumbai’s Shivaji Park. “Delhi Police must be exhausted from chasing us,” she said. “They may have run out of fuel, but our spirits remain high.” Some people in the room shouted “band karo” (stop it) as she began to speak at Thursday’s joint press conference.
The momentum follows a week of confrontation. Delhi Police detained more than 2,000 people on October 10, Reuters reported, and the rights monitor CIVICUS puts the figure at at least 7,000. The CJP calls the detentions authoritarian.
The United Nations Human Rights Office said it was concerned about the mass detentions and called on India “to ensure that the right to peaceful assembly is fully respected and fulfilled.” Amnesty International spoke of “desperate attempts to suppress critical voices.”
The pressure has moved into the courts. On Thursday, the Supreme Court issued notice to the Election Commission, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and two other election commissioners on a petition by Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders challenging the revision of the electoral rolls. The court has also ordered smooth movement in Delhi amid the protest curbs. A notice is a procedural step, not a ruling.
The opposition says the revision has removed millions of voters. The Election Commission denies any wrongdoing, and police have said earlier protests were held without permission. It was not clear at the time of writing whether police had given permission for Friday’s demonstration or what restrictions they planned.
