Thousands of protesters gathered in New Delhi on October 2, calling for the resignation of the chief election commissioner amid accusations of irregularities in voter-roll revisions. Security forces deployed significant police presence to restrict access to Jantar Mantar, a government-sanctioned protest site in the city center, fencing off the area and suspending mobile internet services around the location.

The demonstrations were sparked by a September investigation by a major newspaper that raised concerns over a voter-roll revision process that reportedly removed millions of names of eligible voters. The Election Commission of India (ECI), the constitutional authority responsible for overseeing elections, has denied any wrongdoing and described the report as presenting only a partial perspective.

Protesters included members of opposition political parties who have accused Gyanesh Kumar, the head of the ECI, of bias toward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a Hindu nationalist political group. Several opposition activists were briefly detained during the protests.

The date of the protests coincided with the public holiday commemorating Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, with demonstrators invoking his principles of nonviolent resistance. Protesters waved the Indian flag and chanted slogans demanding Kumar’s resignation, asserting that the alleged voter-roll errors threaten the fundamental right to vote.

Among those who spoke to reporters was Nidhi Sharma, a 19-year-old student from Delhi University, who said her participation was motivated by concern for the country’s future. Another participant, Mina Giri, 38, said her name had been removed from the electoral rolls despite voting in previous elections. “How could my fundamental right be taken away from me?” she asked.

Imran, an 18-year-old protester, also reported that his entire family had been excluded from the voter list. He expressed concerns that the omission was affecting their ability to obtain other official documents, which in turn limited access to government welfare schemes. “We are poor, don’t have a lot and are dependent on them,” he said.

The Election Commission has not issued a direct response to the individual allegations but stated that the media report did not capture the full context of the voter-roll revision. Meanwhile, protests on the same issue are planned for October 2 in Mumbai by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-led satirical political movement that emerged earlier this year. The CJP’s activities have previously included protests contributing to the resignation of a state education minister in July.