Delhi Roiled by Protests; PM Modi Unveils Chennai Metro

Protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar continue in New Delhi following a widespread police crackdown on demonstrators led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). The party had organized a major gathering at Jantar Mantar to protest alleged mass voter omissions during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, though the Election Commission has strongly denied any irregularities. Thousands of protesters were detained during Saturday’s operation.

Among those detained were top CJP leaders Abhijit Dipke, Saurabh Das, and Ashutosh Ranka, who were subsequently freed on Sunday morning following court orders. Following his release, party founder Abhijit Dipke criticized the administration’s heavy-handed response, questioning why strict security restrictions were implemented across Delhi merely to protect the Chief Election Commissioner. He stated that their next course of action would be announced later, noting that he was heading to his hometown due to a family bereavement.

With their primary demand for the Chief Election Commissioner’s resignation remaining unfulfilled, the Cockroach Janata Party has declared an indefinite continuation of its movement. While opposition parties and activists continue to condemn the security crackdowns and restrictions in the national capital, demonstrators are actively preparing for their upcoming programs to press for Gyanesh Kumar’s removal from office.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a section of Phase II of the Chennai Metro in Tamil Nadu on Sunday, constructed at a cost of approximately 4,900 crore rupees. He was accompanied at the inaugural ceremony by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, popularly known as Thalapathy Vijay. Following the event, both leaders took a symbolic ride on the newly opened Poonamallee- Vadapalani stretch, traveling from Porur Bypass Station to Poonamallee Bypass Station and back.

In addition to the metro inauguration, PM Modi is scheduled to lay foundation stones and dedicate several national highway projects and other development initiatives worth nearly 3,700 crore rupees and over 13,000 crore rupees, respectively, to the nation. This high-profile visit to Tamil Nadu runs concurrently with the ongoing political tensions and intense protests in New Delhi, highlighting a day of contrasting national developments across India.