The Albany Gazette - India sends 'cockroach' leaders to jail after protest

CJP activists and opposition parties have defied a security crackdown to demand the resignation of India's chief election commissioner, accusing the poll body of manipulating voter rolls to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party.

The commission, which oversees voting in the world's most populous nation, has denied any wrongdoing.

Delhi Police said CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka, 30, and Saurav Das, 27, were taken into custody for their "alleged repeated attempts to disturb public peace and violate the law".

At the end of the five-day remand period, they could have their detention extended, be granted bail or be released.

On Tuesday, the pair jumped security barricades to wave the national flag at Jantar Mantar, a decades-old protest site that police have barred people from using.

"Their alleged attempts to instigate others through social media to engage in similar unlawful activities were also taken into consideration," police said.

Jantar Mantar, in the heart of the capital, has been sealed off for days with yellow metal barricades and guarded by security personnel.

Delhi Police said on Monday it had removed the site from the list of designated protest venues.

- 'Not a crime' -

Parliamentary opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, from the Congress party, backed the protest leaders.

"Waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar in a peaceful protest is not a crime," he said in a post on social media. "Jailing youth for it is an act of cowardice."

There were smaller demonstrations in the city Wednesday with police detaining protesters and bundling them into buses.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke called on people to gather on Friday in Connaught Place, close to Jantar Mantar.

"And those who cannot come to Delhi, take out a march in your own cities and tell these people... that our flag is our pride and waving it is not a crime," Dipke said on social media.

He earlier said that Ranka and Das had "shown the entire country that the only way to stand up to a bully like Modi is to never bow down, no matter the consequences".

Rights advocates and critics say Modi's government has eroded democratic freedoms during more than a decade in power, citing pressure on journalists, civil society groups and political opponents -- allegations the government rejects.

Human Rights Watch said Wednesday the Indian government must uphold the right of citizens to protest peacefully.

"The Modi government should stop throwing young protesters in jail and instead engage with them to address concerns over the right to vote and fairness of elections," it said in a statement.

- 'They punched me' -

Protester Atira, who gave only her first name, said on Wednesday that she was taken to a detention centre and beaten by police.

"They punched me here," said Atira, pointing to her face at a news conference in Delhi, standing next to Gandhi.

"I begged them to stop, but then they started kicking me in my private parts, lower abdomen, and back. They didn't consider me as a human."

AFP could not immediately verify her claim.

The electoral list revision, which began last year, has led to more than 133 million names being removed from voter rolls, according to media reports. Critics say the exercise has disproportionately affected minorities, particularly Muslims.

Election authorities say the move was intended to eliminate duplicate, deceased and fraudulent entries.

Members of Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party have long alleged that large numbers of undocumented Muslim migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh have fraudulently entered India's electoral rolls.

Home Minister Amit Shah, Modi's powerful right-hand man, dismissed the protests as localised and accused Gandhi of pursuing an "action plan to protect infiltrators".

"The people of India are not going to fall for your deception," he said, predicting a "resounding majority" for government in the next general election, due in 2029.

(B.Ramirez--TAG)