Thousands arrested in New Delhi

Indian authorities arrested thousands of anti-government protesters in New Delhi this past weekend. The government has not said how many thousands were taken into custody.

Cockroach Janta Party leaders released

Authorities released the leaders of the protest movement, known as the Cockroach Janta Party, on Sunday after the weekend arrests.

Months of unrest over education

For several months, the government of Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party have faced widespread unrest.

Voter purge becomes new focus

More recently, the Cockroach Janta Party's protests have centred on the government's decision to remove more than a hundred million people from voter rolls. The government claims this eliminates discrepancies and duplicates.

Election commission under Modi control

The government left the voter roll process in the hands of the election commission, whose head was effectively chosen by Modi, raising concerns about independence.

Cross-sectional youth movement

What makes these protests different is participation of youth unaffiliated with any organization or ideology. Previous protests were sectoral, led by specific groups. This one cuts across geographies, social boundaries and political backgrounds.

Modi supporters now protesting

A significant proportion of protesters come from families that have supported Modi for quite some time. These are middle-class, upper-caste youths who have been bastions for the Bharatiya Janata Party, which worries the party most.

Dalit leader brings broader support

One key leader of the youth protest from the Cockroach Janta Party is Abhijeet Dipke, a Dalit. His leadership has ensured significant participation from the Dalit community in the protests.

Largest disenfranchisement in history

The special intensive revision, or S.I.R., is one of the largest-ever exercises of disenfranchisement in the history of the world.The nineteenth century in the U.S.

Burden shifted to voters

India has historically been a country where voter registration is state-initiated.The S.I.R.shifted the onus for the first time.

Citizenship presumption reversed

Historically, electoral-roll registration was based on a presumption of citizenship. The S.I.R. completely overturned that assumption. Now the presumption is that you are not an Indian unless you certify that you are an Indian.

Massive deficit in voter numbers

The adult population of India is estimated at one point zero three billion.When the S.I.R.started, the number of voters was nine hundred ninety five million.

Structural exclusions harm the poor

Shifting the burden of voter registration onto people disproportionately removes the poor, the less educated and migrants. Women are deleted more often, reversing efforts to improve gender ratios in electoral rolls across almost every state.

Targeted deletion of Muslim voters

In some states, deletions are excessively targeted at Muslims. In West Bengal, which is twenty-seven percent Muslim, two point seven million voters were deleted, with Muslim voters disproportionately affected.

West Bengal election outcome

The Bharatiya Janata Party was desperate to win West Bengal's recent assembly election. After the voter deletions, the party won. The deletions reduced the political power of Muslims in Bengal's voter list.

Signs of a panicked regime

The government fired the education minister and shifted toward social-media outreach. The Prime Minister asked cabinet ministers to focus on social media. These actions signal the Bharatiya Janata Party knows support is eroding.

Massive police response in Delhi

The government mobilized the entire paramilitary force of the country on the streets of Delhi.Police grabbed three young people walking together and put them in vans.

Yadav arrested without charges

Activist Yogendra Yadav was arrested on Saturday while protesting with Neha Bora and Prashant Bhushan. Police dragged him into a van, then released him at nine P.M. without formal arrest, formal charge or explanation.

Election commission is the parrot

Yadav says the government's disproportionate response shows the protests touch an institution key to their continuation in power.There is an Indian fable of a king whose heart resided in a parrot.

“The election commission happens to be that parrot. And anything that touches the parrot is touching the king.”