India Detains Thousands During Protests Over Electoral Roll Irregularities

The Government of India detained between 2,000 and 7,000 people in New Delhi on October 10, 2026, to block protests organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and other groups. Demonstrators demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Delhi Police deployed over 30,000 personnel, suspended mobile internet in parts of the city, and intercepted CJP founder Abhijit Dipke and other senior leaders on an aircraft upon landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Detainees included opposition leaders such as Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, and Pinarayi Vijayan, as well as journalists who reported equipment seizures. In response to the arrests, CJP coverage coordinator Gaurav Bharti filed a habeas corpus petition in the Supreme Court of India to secure the release of party leadership, though he later sought to withdraw the plea.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the crackdown and called for the immediate release of arbitrarily detained individuals. India's Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva rejected these concerns as "misplaced" and an "unwarranted interference" in internal affairs, asserting that authorities acted according to the law. While the Election Commission denied claims of manipulation, opposition figures compared the security operation to the Emergency.