India restricts transport and internet as protests intensify in Delhi

Authorities in Delhi halted metro services, cancelled trains, and restricted mobile internet to block a major protest. Officials shut 57 metro stations starting Friday night as barricades now line key streets.

The Cockroach Janta Party organized the event under the banner Save Democracy. The group started as online satire in May and reported at least 10,000 people have been detained nationwide in connection with the demonstrations. Neha Bora, national president of the All India Students’ Association and a leading face of the protests, said, “You can detain the people, you cannot detain the movement.”

Rallies demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. A recent voter list update removed more than 130 million names. The Election Commission says the purge targets duplicate entries and ineligible voters. Critics argue the changes unfairly target marginalised and minority communities. Tensions rose after reports that Kumar’s deputies raised concerns at least 14 times over the past 10 months.

Police blocked access to Jantar Mantar, the designated protest location. The Supreme Court intervened on Friday, ordering that some trains must continue running. Officials noted that a complete metro shutdown is unlikely. Both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Election Commission denied any political bias in the registry changes.

The demonstrations come months before state elections scheduled for early 2027. The rallies include Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP currently holds power. Abhijeet Dipke, chief of the Cockroach Janta Party, criticized the measures on X, stating, “The dictator would rather shut down the entire national capital and inconvenience millions of citizens than allow a peaceful protest at a designated protest site,”