India briefly detains opposition lawmakers protesting against election chief

Police in New Delhi briefly detained several opposition lawmakers during a march to the Election Commission headquarters. They had tried to breach barricades while demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was among those detained. AFP and local media reported that he was released soon afterwards.

The march covered about 1km from parliament through central New Delhi. Lawmakers carried placards, waved the national flag and shouted slogans against Kumar.

Protests over voter lists

The action was the latest in a series of near-daily protests that began last week, involving student groups, opposition parties and India’s “Cockroach” youth movement.

Opposition groups accuse the Election Commission of manipulating voter registrations to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge called the commission “a puppet in the hands of the government.”

Voter-roll revision expands

The Special Intensive Revision of voter lists began in Bihar last year ahead of state elections and has since expanded to most states and federally administered territories.

Critics say the process requires documents that are confusing and difficult to obtain. Election Commission data indicates that voter rolls could shrink by as much as 30% in some regions.

The commission says the revision is intended to remove duplicate, deceased and ineligible entries and protect electoral integrity. On Friday, it instructed officials to register eligible voters who had been inadvertently left off the rolls.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said Congress leaders, after repeated failures, had decided to establish “anarchy” and attack institutions.