Delhi police close metro stations ahead of opposition march to Supreme Court

Delhi police closed several metro stations in central Delhi on Monday and stopped an opposition march to the Supreme Court. Thousands of people were demanding the resignation of India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Barricades kept protesters more than 600 metres from the court, forcing the procession to turn back. Lawyers confirmed that a petition had been filed on behalf of opposition alliance leader Rahul Gandhi, who reached the court gates later in the evening.

Dispute over the electoral rolls

Kumar has faced criticism over a special verification of India’s electoral rolls that has removed more than 130 million names since last year. Opposition parties and civil society groups allege that Muslims and other minorities, traditionally less likely to support the ruling Bharatiya Janata party, have been disproportionately affected.

The Election Commission denies favouring any party and says wrongly removed voters can re-enrol. The BJP accuses its opponents of undermining democracy by challenging legitimate electoral procedures.

Before the march, Gandhi repeated his allegation that Narendra Modi’s government was using the commission for “vote chori”, or vote theft, and called Kumar a thief. He also backed youth protests led by the Cockroach movement and student groups, which were met with mass detentions over the weekend.

Opposition MP Mahua Moitra said more than 10,000 voters had allegedly been unjustly removed from the rolls in her West Bengal constituency. Gandhi was detained twice last week after police stopped him and other opposition leaders from reaching the designated protest site at Jantar Mantar.

Protests are expected to continue this week. Leaders of the Cockroach Janta party have asked Delhi police for permission to hold an unobstructed protest and said supporters would return to the streets if the request is refused.