India jails two protest leaders as voter-roll purge protests grow
Over 130 million names were stripped from India's electoral rolls, sparking youth-led demonstrations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
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What happened
Thousands of young Indians have protested in New Delhi and other cities against the removal of more than 130 million people from electoral rolls, which critics call a purge that favors the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. A court ordered two leaders of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party detained for five days after they climbed barricades at a protest. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has vowed to challenge the government's decision to remove Jantar Mantar's status as an official protest site.
Why it matters
Critics warn that voter freedoms are being constricted and that space for democratic dissent is shrinking.
Timeline
- Oct 13, 12:01 PM ET: Thousands took to the streets in New Delhi and other Indian cities to protest the removal of more than 130 million people from electoral rolls.
- Oct 13, 1:23 PM ET: Rahul Gandhi said the Opposition would challenge the government's decision to de-notify Jantar Mantar as a protest site.
- Oct 14, 2:05 AM ET: An Indian court ordered two Cockroach Janta Party leaders detained in jail for five days.
- Oct 14, 3:30 PM ET: U.S. lawmaker Pramila Jayapal raised concern over India's voter-roll purge and backed non-violent protests.
- Indian police hold Cockroach Janta Party leaders as protests spread
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- Youth protests seeking election chief's exit grow as India detains activists
- Lawmakers ask Rubio to raise India's protest detentions
- India dismisses UN expert's youth rights report as unverified
- Indian youth protests against election chief persist after Dipke's release
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