Indian Activists Detained Over Election Chief Allegations Freed From Jail
Two leaders of a youth collective critical of the country's electoral process were released after being accused of unauthorized protest activities.
Two prominent activists from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, have been released from jail after their arrest in connection with protests targeting India's Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). The CJP, a collective that originated from student protests over leaked exam papers, has become a vocal critic of the nation's electoral system.
Das and Ranka were reportedly accused of breaking into an unauthorized protest venue in Delhi. Their arrests came amid heightened scrutiny of the Election Commission of India's electoral roll revision process, known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The CJP, along with opposition parties and other critics, alleges that the SIR is being manipulated to favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The CJP has accused CEC Gyanesh Kumar of revising electoral rolls in a manner that benefits the ruling BJP. Both the BJP and the Election Commission have refuted these allegations. The SIR exercise has led to approximately 130 million names being removed from voter lists since the previous year.
Critics of the SIR process have expressed concerns that it could disenfranchise eligible voters. The Election Commission, however, maintains that the revision is aimed at removing names of deceased or ineligible voters and duplicate entries. In July, a march organized by the CJP towards parliament resulted in clashes with police, drawing national attention and contributing to the resignation of India's then-education minister.