Indian capital turns fortress as India's 'Cockroach' protests force Modi to face mounting election fraud crisis

Rahul Gandhi led opposition lawmakers in a march to India's Supreme Court demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, as New Delhi locked down for a third straight day with barricades, closed metro stations and thousands of security personnel deployed across the capital. The protests were sparked by a voter roll revision that deleted over 130 million names — more than Japan's population — which critics say disproportionately stripped minorities and opponents of Modi's BJP from the electoral register. At least 16 journalists were detained while covering the demonstrations, with Reporters Without Borders calling the press crackdown "unacceptable."

The youth-led 'Cockroach Janta Party' founders, including Abhijeet Dipke, vowed to keep protesting after being released from detention, saying they will not stop until Kumar resigns.

Communist MP John Brittas claimed he was 'manhandled, dragged, assaulted' by police, calling it an assault on democratic freedoms and the rule of law.

Delhi authorities banned further rallies at Jantar Mantar, the capital's designated protest hub for decades, and closed six metro stations ahead of Monday's march.