POLICE DETAIN PROTESTERS AS INDIA YOUTH DEMONSTRATIONS BEGIN
Fresh protests have begun in India as youth groups, students and civil society organizations demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a controversial nationwide voter roll verification exercise. Police detained some demonstrators in New Delhi on Friday, October 2, placing protesters into buses as security forces restricted gatherings around Jantar Mantar. Several nearby metro stations were closed and hundreds of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed around the protest area. The protesters allege that changes to voter rolls have improperly removed eligible voters and benefited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. India’s Election Commission and government deny those allegations and say the verification exercise is intended to remove duplicate, deceased or otherwise ineligible voters.