NEW DELHI: Rights groups and opposition leaders have slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government over the erosion of democratic freedoms during more than a decade in power, as youth-led protests over unemployment and electoral manipulation gain momentum.
The concerns have intensified amid demonstrations against the Election Commission, with protesters demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a revision of voter rolls to favour Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), was released from detention on Saturday, a day after his arrest during a police crackdown on protesters in New Delhi.
Two other senior CJP leaders, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, remained in custody after being arrested earlier in the week.
Dipke, 31, was detained on Friday as he headed to join a rally called by the CJP in the capital’s Connaught Place district.
“Abhijeet Dipke released,” CJP legal affairs chief Ratna Singh said on social media.
Crackdown on Protests
Thousands of protesters gathered in Connaught Place on Friday, demanding Kumar’s resignation despite a heavy security presence. Police sealed off Central Park, the planned site of the demonstration, and deployed thousands of police and paramilitary personnel to prevent the gathering.
Police initially appeared to hold back. However, officers later used force against the young protesters as darkness fell. Police were pushing demonstrators into buses to take them to jails. Two people were also injured during the police action.
Among those detained was Neha Bora, a prominent leader of the All India Students’ Association who has emerged as a leading figure in the protests.
Before Friday’s rally, police visited the house where Dipke was staying and warned him against holding the march, according to the BBC.
In an exchange broadcast live on Instagram, Dipke challenged officers, asking whether waving the Indian flag was against the law.
Hours later, officers surrounded him as he approached his car and forced him into a police vehicle. Some supporters tried to prevent it from leaving.
Dipke’s detention came less than a week after another incident in which police boarded his plane shortly after it landed in Delhi to prevent him from reaching a protest. He was released the following day.
Anish Gawande, an opposition politician who had hosted Dipke, questioned the police action.
“Detaining a lone man walking with the national flag in his hand is a bit of a joke,” he said.
Ranka and Das were arrested on October 14 after returning to Jantar Mantar, a protest site near parliament that police had declared off-limits for demonstrations.
The two men were sent to jail for five days after police said protesters had breached the conditions of their release by entering the restricted site.
The arrests followed an earlier crackdown in which police detained CJP leaders and supporters seeking to reach a rally.
CJP spokesperson Mehr Pasricha said the arrests would not stop the movement.
“They may detain three people, but how will they stop 30 tomorrow? How will they stop 300 leaders?” she told the BBC.
Pasricha said the party had a team and a plan in place to sustain demonstrations if its leading figures remained behind bars.
“If the top three continue to stay behind bars, we will continue to protest peacefully,” she said.
Electoral Rolls Revision
The protests have focused on a sweeping revision of voter lists known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Activists and opposition parties say the exercise risks removing eligible voters from electoral rolls to benefit the BJP.
Opposition parties have staged separate demonstrations against Kumar. Last week, Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi and other opposition lawmakers were detained while attempting to march to the Election Commission’s headquarters.
They have also taken their concerns to President Droupadi Murmu and marched towards the Supreme Court.
Gandhi has condemned the arrests of CJP leaders and called for Jantar Mantar to be reopened to protesters.
The CJP’s campaign began as an online movement in May after India’s chief justice likened some unemployed young people to “cockroaches”. Dipke embraced the term, turning it into a rallying cry for disaffected young people.
Authorities imposed severe restrictions during demonstrations the previous weekend, sealing roads, shutting metro stations and deploying thousands of security personnel across Delhi.
Ahead of Friday’s protest, authorities closed Central Park for two days.
The CJP instead urged supporters to enter Connaught Place in groups of fewer than five, unfurl the flag, take photographs and leave. The movement encouraged participants to share the images online, declaring that waving India’s national flag was not a crime.
Unemployment Fuels Youth Anger
The demonstrations reflect broader frustration among young Indians over unemployment, examination paper leaks and unfulfilled promises of economic opportunity.
Modi came to power in 2014 promising millions of jobs each year. Employment remains a major concern in India, particularly among young people and graduates.
Research by Azim Premji University’s State of Working India 2026 report found that unemployment among graduates aged 15 to 25 was nearly 40%, while about one in five graduates aged 25 to 29 remained jobless.
In May, unrest spread after the government invalidated examinations for admission to national medical colleges following the leaking of test papers. The examinations are an important route into professional careers for students from poorer and middle-income families.
Rubby Singh, a 30-year-old social activist in Delhi, said repeated examination leaks had deepened young people’s sense that the system was denying them opportunities despite years of study.
Growing Challenge to Modi
The protests have been energised by the emergence of a nationally visible youth-led movement during Modi’s tenure.
The CJP and independent news channels on YouTube have helped amplify demonstrations that have received limited coverage in India’s largely pro-government mainstream media.
Thousands of protesters have used mobile phones to document police actions and circulate footage online, helping turn Dipke and Bora into widely recognised figures among demonstrators.
Opposition parties that have struggled to challenge Modi’s political dominance have also returned to the streets.
Gandhi and tens of thousands of his supporters have joined protests against the Election Commission.
Analysts have described the youth protests and growing opposition support as the most serious challenge to Modi since he took office in 2014. People under 30 account for nearly a quarter of India’s one billion voters, giving employment and economic opportunity particular political significance.
