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India's opposition alliance participates in a protest in New Delhi on October 8, 2026, against the country's chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar [Sajjad Hussain/AFP]

New Delhi: Indian authorities detained more than 2,000 people and imposed tight security across parts of New Delhi on Saturday to prevent a planned protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The demonstration was organised by the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and other activists, who want Kumar to resign over changes to India’s voter lists. Critics say the revisions could affect election fairness and may benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP and the Election Commission deny any wrongdoing.

Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across the capital before the planned gathering at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site.

Authorities sealed off the area, closed several metro stations and markets, and suspended mobile internet services in parts of central Delhi. The restrictions disrupted movement across the city.

Among those detained were CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. Opposition politicians, students and other activists were also detained.

Dispute over voter-list changes

The protests follow a voter-list revision exercise that has become a major political issue in India. Reports indicate that around 130 million names were removed from draft electoral rolls during the process.

Opposition parties and campaigners argue that the scale of the removals raises concerns about eligible voters losing their right to vote. They have called for greater transparency and for the revisions to be reviewed.

The Election Commission says the process is intended to verify voter eligibility and remove duplicate or outdated entries. It has also directed states where the revision has been completed to conduct special drives to register eligible voters who may have been left off the lists. The BJP has rejected claims that the exercise is designed to give it an electoral advantage.

Government and opposition exchange accusations

Opposition leaders criticised the security restrictions and detentions, arguing that peaceful protest and concerns over voting rights should be addressed through democratic processes.

The BJP, meanwhile, accused opposition groups of trying to undermine the country’s stability and questioned their motives for organising the demonstrations. The party maintains that its electoral success reflects public support and rejects allegations of interference in the voter-list process.

Although police prevented the main gathering at Jantar Mantar, smaller protests took place in different parts of Delhi. The organisers have said they intend to continue their campaign for Kumar’s resignation and changes to the voter-list revision process.