Gen Z vs. Modi: The protest sweeping India anew
Mass protests in India following the deletion of 130 million names from the voter roll, a move protesters say is intended to strengthen Modi's rule. Police blocked New Delhi, shut down trains and metro, cut the internet, and arrested protest leaders.
Mass protests in India, led by a Gen Z youth movement called the 'Cockroach Party', are sweeping the country following the deletion of 130 million names from the voter roll. The move, dubbed a 'special and intensive update', began last summer with the official aim of cleaning up duplicate registrations, but critics fear it is a political purge intended to entrench the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been in power for 12 years. Security forces turned New Delhi into a military fortress: armed police set up barricades, internet in the city center was cut, train service was canceled, and 45 metro stations were closed. The founder of the protest movement, 31-year-old Abhijit Deepak, was arrested upon landing at Delhi airport, along with two other leaders. Additional leaders, Surav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were also detained. The protesters demand the immediate resignation of Election Commission Chairman Gyanesh Kumar, a complete halt to the voter roll update pending an independent investigation, and the restoration of the previous list. The youth movement is expected to be joined by farmers' organizations, the opposition 'Aam Aadmi Party', and student groups. Prime Minister Modi remains silent, while Home Minister Amit Shah accused the opposition of lies.