(Adnkronos) – Thousands of police officers on the streets of New Delhi. New protests are expected tomorrow in the Indian capital to demand the resignation of the head of the Election Commission, and according to the Press Trust of India agency, more than 20,000 officers and paramilitaries have been mobilized. In the background are accusations of alleged irregularities in electoral rolls during a review process which, according to authorities, serves to remove names that appear more than once or people who do not have the right to vote. For opposition parties, this is an initiative that could disenfranchise some voters, to the advantage of the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party.
Last Friday, the AFP agency reported, hundreds of people had gathered in New Delhi and several were detained. Then on Tuesday, during a new demonstration, Rahul Gandhi was also detained, but soon released.
For tomorrow, calls for new protests in the capital are multiplying, including from the ‘cockroaches’, supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, which has been in the spotlight since May, when their mobilization helped force the resignation of the now former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. They are now calling for “mass mobilization”.
Yellow barricades have appeared in the city center streets to limit access to Jantar Mantar, AFP journalists on site report. The Police have not authorized protests here and, according to local media, some metro stations could be closed as early as this evening.
Later today, a meeting is expected between Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition in Parliament, and other opposition figures and President Droupadi Murmu. The election commission has rejected all accusations.
Meanwhile, the CJP has reported the detention of its volunteers and supporters. No comment from the Police. “Delhi Police works as a private militia of the BJP,” Saurav Das, an activist of the movement, accused on social media. “These intimidations will not work,” assured CJP chief Abhijeet Dipke, “Tomorrow I will arrive in Delhi and I will go all the way to Jantar Mantar.”
