India's 'Cockroach' movement leader Abhijeet Dipke and hundreds of protesters were detained as police cracked down on demonstrations against the Election Commission's voter roll revision. Over 45 metro stations were closed and more than 240 trains cancelled in Delhi as authorities imposed a strict lockdown.
Dipke, founder of the 'Cockroach' movement, was arrested upon landing in Delhi after a flight from Mumbai, with senior leaders also detained. Protesters reported being forcibly removed from protest sites and detained without internet access, with police using batons and carrying detainees by arms and legs.
The crackdown follows a government effort to remove 130 million names from India's voter roll, a move critics say undermines democracy and threatens the BJP's political power. UN officials called for restraint and the release of those arbitrarily detained, warning of potential human rights violations.