India detains thousands, locks down Delhi to foil protests

NEW ​DELHI: Police detained more than 2,000 protesters and the founder of the 'Cockroach' youth movement in Delhi on Saturday as security forces locked down parts of the capital to thwart a rally demanding the resignation of India's election chief. Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across the city, mobile Internet services were suspended in the central business district and dozens of metro stations and markets were shut as authorities moved to stop a demonstration organised by the Cockroach movement.
The protest was aimed at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a revision of voter lists that critics say disproportionately benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The movement had planned to gather thousands of ⁠people at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi, but the area was sealed off by security forces before the demonstration began.
A home ministry official said that more than 2,000 people were detained in Delhi. Local media said about 400 protesters were held in India's financial hub, Mumbai. Small protests broke out elsewhere in Delhi, including at a popular crafts market and the memorial to freedom movement leader Mahatma Gandhi, with demonstrators demanding Kumar's resignation. — AFP