Modi Government Condemned at Home and Abroad Over Unprecedented Repression, Mass Arrests During Delhi Protest

Ishtiaq Mahmud

Delhi saw unprecedented security and mass arrests around a planned protest against India’s controversial voter list revision. The protest has stirred the whole of India. Yesterday, even before the protest began, police detained many protesters from different parts of Delhi. The administration also shut down the internet, closed metro stations and limited train services to crush the movement.

Police detained more than 7,000 people across Delhi for protesting against these steps. They include top opposition figures, student leaders and rights activists. The police action began yesterday morning and has caused sharp political reactions across the country. According to police, they are preparing to file several FIRs against the protesters for attacking police and obstructing government work.

Mass arrest of top opposition leaders: Police detained senior political leaders from different parts of Delhi, both before and during the protest march. Among the notable detainees are Ms. Mamata Banerjee, former chief minister of West Bengal, and Mr. Arvind Kejriwal, national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and former chief minister of Delhi. Police also detained Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan, Kerala’s opposition leader and former chief minister, and Mr. Manik Sarkar, former chief minister of Tripura. CJP leaders Mr. Abhijit Dipke and Mr. Saurav Das, along with other lawyers and political figures, were also detained.

Many young students and activists of left wing student groups joined the protest and were detained. Popular YouTuber Mr. Dhruv Rathee and Bollywood actor Mr. Imran Khan were also reported detained. Police took most of the detainees to temporary detention centres, including Chhatrasal Stadium and Mandir Marg police station. Police also detained Ms. Yashaswini Raje Singh, daughter of former BJP lawmaker Mr. Vikram Singh of Uttar Pradesh, from a park near the historic Bangla Sahib Gurdwara.

Police pressure did not stop the young protesters. Delhi Police detained CJP founder Mr. Abhijit Dipke and his colleagues inside an Air India flight that had landed in New Delhi from Mumbai. Mr. Dipke shared a live video on his Instagram channel and said, “I have come to be arrested, I am not afraid of you.” Later, inside the plane, he told fellow passengers, “We can see where the nation is heading. Delhi Police want to enter the plane and arrest us. This is clear dictatorship.”

Police also detained Mr. Dhruv Rathee, Ms. Neha Bora, a leader of the All India Students Association (AISA), and Mr. Dipankar Bhattacharya, general secretary of CPI(ML). Senior Supreme Court lawyer Mr. Prashant Bhushan and politician Mr. Yogendra Yadav were also detained. Police even detained many journalists who went to cover the protest and put them on police buses.

The protest was called under the leadership of Mr. Abhijit Dipke. The protesters demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Mr. Gyanesh Kumar and raise allegations of irregularities in the voter list revision. Authorities deployed about 40,000 Delhi Police and paramilitary (CAPF) personnel in and around Jantar Mantar, citing crowd control and possible law and order problems. They turned the whole area into a fortress, with barricades and spike strips placed at many points.

Police said they took these tough steps to ensure the safety of protesters, the public and security forces. They also said no more than 1,000 people may gather at Jantar Mantar at one time. In Delhi and nearby Gurugram, about 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed to stop the protest. Barricades blocked the main roads leading to the city centre.

For security reasons, authorities closed at least 45 metro stations in Delhi for some time and limited many train services. Mobile internet service was also suspended in several areas. The opposition INDIA bloc, including AAP and Congress, called the situation in Delhi “worse than the Emergency” and a “Black Emergency”.

Modi government faces sharp criticism at home and abroad: The UN Human Rights Office expressed deep concern over the mass arrests during the Delhi protest. It said clearly that the right to peaceful assembly must be fully respected and protected. In a statement on social media, it said it was deeply concerned by reports of arbitrary mass arrests of protesters, main protest leaders, civil society representatives, lawyers and journalists. It added that silencing civil society or blocking peaceful gatherings goes against human rights in a democratic society, and urged authorities to protect free expression and assembly at once.

Amnesty International strongly condemned the arrests and said Indian authorities are creating a “climate of fear” in the country. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Mr. Aakar Patel, head of Amnesty International India, spoke about the detentions. He said, “The detention of more than 5,000 people by Delhi Police, including opposition leaders, student union leaders, journalists and lawyers, proves that the government is desperately trying to silence critical voices.” He also said authorities must immediately and unconditionally release those held only for using their right to free expression and peaceful assembly.

Mr. Patel urged the government to show maximum restraint and take all needed steps to protect and ensure the right to peaceful assembly. Top opposition leaders also showed strong anger after the crackdown. Congress leader Mr. Rahul Gandhi said in a social media post, “Gyanesh Kumar must go. This government must also go. Only then will the work of restoring democracy begin.” Congress president Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge said the Modi government has turned the “mother of democracy” into a “muzzled democracy”.

Senior leader Mr. Shashi Tharoor and environmental activist Mr. Sonam Wangchuk also sharply criticised the arrests and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the detained leaders. The opposition bloc announced that tomorrow, Monday, it will meet the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court over the incident. It also announced larger protests across the country. Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Bhagwant Mann attacked the central government after police detained protesters and students just before the planned Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar, and called the step a major “alarm bell” for the country’s democracy.

Kerala Chief Minister Mr. V D Satheesan said, “The arbitrary detention of Pinarayi Vijayan by Delhi Police is deeply worrying and we strongly condemn it. He is now being held at Mandir Marg police station.” He said he has told the Kerala chief secretary and the resident commissioner in New Delhi to contact Delhi Police directly and coordinate all steps to win Mr. Vijayan’s quick release. Former Rajasthan chief minister and senior Congress leader Mr. Ashok Gehlot accused the BJP of deliberately defaming the opposition for questioning the role of the Election Commission.

Mr. Gehlot said clearly that protesting or questioning the government is not a conspiracy to harm the unity or stability of the country. Ms. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a top Congress leader and member of parliament, said India no longer remains a democratic country. She strongly condemned the ongoing political crisis and the arbitrary detention of opposition leaders and protesters. She directly accused Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and Home Minister Mr. Amit Shah of harsh dictatorship.

Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi made no direct comment on the huge protest and movement. However, Home Minister Mr. Amit Shah accused the opposition parties of “spreading lies and confusion” in a social media post.

CJP announces it will continue protests today despite the arrests: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has taken a firm stand to continue its movement until its demands are met. The party announced a new protest programme for today, Sunday. In an official message on X (formerly Twitter), the CJP said it is not backing down in any way. On Sunday, party leaders, workers and supporters will again march toward the historic Jantar Mantar and continue a sit in there until their demands are met.

Political analysts say the CJP is trying to strengthen its position in politics by continuing its steady programme despite many obstacles and pressure from the administration. Law and order and security in Delhi may be tightened further around today’s programme.

Supreme Court to hear contempt case against authorities today: The situation in Delhi has taken a new legal turn after the recent protest and the strict controls in crowded areas. Someone has filed a petition for contempt of court against the authorities. It says they kept metro and public transport closed in violation of an earlier order of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has fixed a special hearing today, Sunday, on this petition.

On 9 October, the Supreme Court clearly said in its order that a full ban or strict limits on public transport or metro services in the name of security in the capital is overreach. The court said metro and train services should run in a regulated and controlled way, rather than being fully banned. However, there are allegations that authorities ignored this order, closing metro stations and limiting services in many parts of Delhi. A petition was then filed seeking contempt proceedings against the authorities concerned. The top court has listed the matter for a special hearing even on this holiday.

Delhi Police say tight security will continue: Delhi Police have decided to keep their presence and security measures in place, fearing fresh protests in the capital. They took this caution because several political and student groups may call for new protests at Jantar Mantar. According to internal sources in Delhi Police, the administration is on extra alert after fresh protest calls from groups such as CJP, AIYF, AISF and SFI.