Police in New Delhi detained several demonstrators during a second day of youth-led protests against alleged irregularities in the national voter verification process.

Indian authorities detained several people in New Delhi on Saturday, October 3, 2026, as police disrupted a second day of protests against recent changes to voter rolls. The demonstrations, backed by the Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party and various opposition groups, centered on demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Protesters claim that a nationwide voter-verification exercise has unfairly benefited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governing party by removing eligible voters from electoral lists.

Protests and Police Response

On Saturday, approximately 100 demonstrators breached security barricades, chanting slogans such as "vote thief, leave the post" and calling for Kumar to step down. Police forcibly detained some participants following the breach. This followed a similar crackdown on Friday, when authorities bundled protesters into buses and closed several nearby metro stations to prevent gatherings. While many of those detained on Friday were released, a police source indicated that several individuals were charged with violating orders that prohibit mass gatherings in the capital.

Controversy Over Voter Verification

The protests are driven by allegations that a voter-verification exercise launched last year has resulted in the removal of millions of eligible voters from the rolls. Critics, including All India Students' Association President Neha Bora, argue that the process is exclusionary and suppresses dissent. In response, the Election Commission—which maintains that the exercise is intended to remove duplicate, deceased, or ineligible voters—issued a directive on Friday instructing officials to register newly eligible voters and those previously omitted from the rolls. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has not publicly commented on the protests or the calls for his resignation.