- British Asian groups protest outside Indian High Commission in London
- Students also rally in Cardiff, Leeds and Edinburgh
- Protesters back demand for election chief Gyanesh Kumar’s removal
- Two CJP leaders sent to Tihar Jail after entering Jantar Mantar
BRITISH ASIANS groups have staged an “emergency protest” outside the High Commission of India in London in solidarity with demonstrations in New Delhi over a controversial revision of India’s voter lists.
The protest on Tuesday evening, organised by groups including the South Asia Solidarity Group, the Cambridge South Asian Forum Against Hindutva, the Indian Workers’ Association and the SOAS Ambedkar Society, drew a large number of students.
Participants backed the demands of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), including the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an end to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
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“This is not just about one corrupt official, it is a mass uprising,” said Mukti Shah of the South Asia Solidarity Group. “For us in Britain, it is especially important because this regime is a key player in the global far-right, which is increasingly active in this country.”
Protesters held placards condemning what they described as “police brutality and sexual violence against protesters, journalists and lawyers”.
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) UK also organised gatherings in Cardiff, Leeds and Edinburgh this week.
Leaders sent to jail
In Delhi, CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya Shinde were arrested on Tuesday after allegedly breaching barricades to enter Jantar Mantar, where police said they raised slogans and put up a national flag.
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On Wednesday, Das and Ranka were sent to five days’ judicial custody in Tihar Jail on charges including trespass, violating prohibitory orders and breaching peace bonds. Shinde was released after agreeing to maintain good behaviour for six months, police said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the arrests, saying that waving the national flag at a peaceful protest was not a crime and that Jantar Mantar belonged to the people of India.
Protest site row
Delhi Police removed Jantar Mantar’s status as a designated protest site on October 11, naming Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as alternatives. The CJP says moving protests away from central Delhi reduces the visibility of dissent.v
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The day before, police barricaded roads to Jantar Mantar and detained hundreds of people trying to reach a planned CJP protest there.
The Election Commission says the voter list revision, which began last year, is intended to remove deceased, duplicate, relocated and otherwise ineligible entries.
(With inputs from PTI)
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