Indian police detained thousands of opposition leaders and protesters in New Delhi on Saturday as demonstrations against the Election Commission’s voter list revision intensified. Among those detained were former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar.According to media reports, at least 3,000 protesters were detained during the day-long crackdown.The protest, organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Demonstrators alleged that a large number of voters had been removed from electoral rolls under the pretext of revision, benefiting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Election Commission and the BJP have denied allegations of irregularities.Security was tightened across Delhi from Saturday morning, with large contingents of police and paramilitary personnel deployed to prevent protesters from gathering at Jantar Mantar. Barricades were erected on several roads, while some metro stations and markets were closed. Mobile internet services were also suspended in parts of central Delhi.CJP leaders detained at airportThe CJP said its founder Abhijit Deepake, along with party leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, were detained at the airport shortly after arriving in Delhi from Mumbai in the morning.In a video recorded aboard the aircraft, Abhijit Deepake said they had travelled to Delhi to participate in a peaceful demonstration but were being treated like criminals.Earlier, police detained Ratna Singh, head of the party’s legal division. The party alleged that she was taken into custody from inside a car on the road.YouTuber and political commentator Dhruv Rathee was also reportedly detained from his residence in Gurugram, according to media reports.Mamata, Kejriwal detainedFormer Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal was detained in the afternoon while heading towards Jantar Mantar, reports said.Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was also detained while protesting in the South Avenue area of Delhi. Several Trinamool Congress leaders accompanying her were taken into custody, including Rajya Sabha members Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen.Opposition leaders condemned the police action, accusing the authorities of attempting to silence dissent by obstructing a peaceful protest.Left leaders among those detainedFormer Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan was among several Left leaders detained while attempting to join the demonstration. Others reportedly detained included CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby, Left leader Brinda Karat, MV Govindan and PK Sreemathy.CPI(M) MP John Brittas alleged that police moved some of the detained leaders between different locations in Delhi for hours before taking them to Chhatrasal Stadium. They were later moved elsewhere without being informed of their destination, he claimed.Left student leader Neha Bora was also reportedly detained. Before her detention, she urged protesters on social media to continue their sit-in demonstrations wherever police stopped them.Lathicharge alleged near gurdwaraHundreds of protesters had reportedly taken shelter at Delhi’s Bangla Sahib Gurdwara since Friday night. On Saturday morning, police allegedly blocked them from marching towards Jantar Mantar and resorted to a lathicharge.Protesters claimed that around 600 people had gathered near the gurdwara, with approximately 300 detained. The figures could not be independently verified.Ajay Jingade, a software engineer from Hyderabad, alleged that protesters had been trying to reach Jantar Mantar since morning but were stopped by a large police contingent. Police later used batons and took several demonstrators away in buses, he said.Clashes between police and protesters were also reported at several locations across Delhi. A section of demonstrators gathered at Dilli Haat, while CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde urged protesters on social media to continue demonstrating wherever they were stopped.Journalists, lawyers also detainedSeveral journalists covering the protests were reportedly detained by police. A number of lawyers protesting outside the Supreme Court were also taken into custody, according to reports. Some of them were later released.The CJP further alleged that social media accounts belonging to several of its members had been suspended. Authorities had not provided detailed comments on the allegation.Voter roll revision fuels political rowPolitical tensions had been mounting for days over the revision of electoral rolls. Opposition parties alleged that the removal of large numbers of voters could influence election outcomes.According to data cited by India’s Election Commission, around 130 million names were removed from voter lists during the verification exercise. The commission attributed the deletions to several factors, including the relocation of approximately 63 million people, the inability to trace around 30 million people and the deaths of approximately 28 million voters.The commission said the names were removed following verification and that eligible voters whose names had been mistakenly deleted could register again.Opposition parties, however, alleged that the process had not been conducted impartially. The BJP rejected the accusations, attributing its electoral success to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and the government’s economic performance.Saturday’s crackdown has reignited debate over the neutrality of India’s electoral system, the transparency of voter list revisions and the right of opposition parties to protest.Source: BBC