Rahul Gandhi leads Indian opposition march toward Supreme Court, demanding election chief’s resignation over voter-roll revision as protests face a security crackdown

Rahul Gandhi joined opposition lawmakers and supporters in New Delhi on Monday for a march toward the Supreme Court, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over changes to voter lists. The Associated Press reported that demonstrators sought to submit a petition to the chief justice after police detained thousands of protesters over the weekend. Authorities also closed six metro stations in the capital on Monday and warned of traffic disruption.

The dispute centers on a voter-list revision that critics say has removed more than 130 million names since it began last year and risks disenfranchising eligible voters, particularly minorities and vulnerable groups. Critics also say Kumar overruled concerns raised by fellow election commissioners about the changes. The Election Commission and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party deny manipulation, saying the review is intended to remove duplicate and ineligible entries.

At a press briefing, Gandhi called for Kumar to be tried for treason and said the government had put the capital “in jail.” The youth-led Cockroach movement has threatened further demonstrations. With heavy security in place, opposition groups and students have turned to unannounced flash rallies to evade restrictions; protesters have also alleged custodial violence. Analysts cited in the post say anger among young demonstrators is deepening as the crackdown makes protests harder to sustain.

Some movement leaders detained over the weekend were released on Sunday, according to AP, and small protest groups returned to the streets. The demonstrations have continued despite the arrests and restrictions.

The Cockroach movement previously led protests over exam-paper leaks that culminated in the resignation of Modi’s education minister in July, AP reported.