Police in India deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters affiliated with the opposition Congress party during nationwide demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The protesters accused Kumar of manipulating voter rolls to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The demonstrations occurred on Friday in multiple locations across India, including Chandigarh in the northwest and the capital, Delhi. In Chandigarh, authorities used water cannons after protesters climbed on buses and barricades. Likewise, in Delhi, hundreds of protesters breached barricades, chanting slogans and targeting individuals wearing masks of Kumar. Protesters also burned an effigy depicting Kumar and Modi, highlighting the intensity of the nationwide unrest.

The protests were largely organized by the “cockroach” youth movement, which claims millions of supporters and had earlier forced the resignation of the education minister in July. The group had threatened to escalate protests across the country on October 2 if Kumar did not step down by Friday.

Opposition parties, including Congress, have accused the Election Commission of collaborating with the BJP to manipulate voter lists in several state elections, allegations that both the commission and the BJP have denied. Kumar, 62, a former civil servant appointed to the post by Modi’s government, has not publicly responded to the accusations.

The tensions were intensified following a recent report from the Indian Express newspaper stating that Kumar’s deputies raised concerns internally about alterations to voter lists that opposition groups claim favored the BJP. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the revelations confirmed his long-standing accusations of vote theft and called for Kumar’s immediate resignation, describing the chief election commissioner’s actions as tantamount to treason.

In response, the Election Commission characterized the differences among its officers as routine and maintained that all its procedures were lawful. The BJP dismissed the opposition’s allegations as a smear campaign driven by their declining electoral fortunes amid the party’s enduring popularity.

The upcoming state elections in key regions including Uttar Pradesh—the country’s most populous state—and Modi’s home state of Gujarat, both governed by the BJP, are considered crucial indicators of the party’s strength ahead of the national parliamentary elections scheduled for 2029. The recent protests signal growing political challenges ahead for the incumbent government amid rising scrutiny of electoral processes.