Several international news outlets reported on the heavy police presence, detention of protesters, and restrictions in Delhi during a demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
On Saturday, protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party and Left groups took place in Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The event gained international attention as several media organisations reported on the 'lockdown' in the national capital with heavy barricading, thousands of security personnel deployed, and restrictions on mobile internet.
The New York Times described the capital of the world’s largest democracy as a 'fortress', with Delhi Police 'chasing', 'dragging', and 'bundling' protesters into police vehicles. The report characterized the police action as 'extraordinary' which met with an 'equally extraordinary display of defiance' from the young protesters in their 20s and 30s.
The Guardian reported on how Delhi was put under a 'severe lockdown' by shutting metro stations, cancelling trains, and deploying over 25,000 police and security personnel from various states. The Financial Times also used terms like 'fortress' to describe the protest site in Delhi and 'defiant' for the protesters. The Associated Press described the protest as anger against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government and the election authorities, with the detention of CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka effectively crippling the protest before its start.
The Wall Street Journal reported that 'Modi locked down' the national capital with thousands of security forces in a bid to thwart a mass protest. Protests have been held in several parts of the country in recent weeks, calling for Kumar’s resignation over concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission and its handling of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls.
Source:
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