Hundreds of students took to the streets of New Delhi on Sunday in a series of flash protests to demand the rollback of voter list revisions amid concerns the controversial move favors Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The demonstrations center on the adjustments made by the Election Commission of India to voter rolls, which saw more than 130 million names removed. Critics say the changes could unfairly benefit the BJP, allegations which the ruling party has denied.
The protests came after police detained more than 2,000 people and sealed off parts of central Delhi on Saturday, with thousands of police officers and paramilitary personnel remaining deployed across the capital on Sunday.
After being barred from the designated protest sites that police had cordoned off, the demonstrators changed tactics and began fanning out across the capital to hold flash demonstrations at different locations on Sunday.
Holding aloft placards and banners, protesters -- most of whom belong to student organizations -- called for the revised voter lists to be scrapped in full and for India's Chief Election Commissioner to be removed.
The flash protests across the city appeared to catch police off guard, as officers moved in to detain students on the spot, with many being dragged away from the scene or pushed onto buses bound for detention centers.
With tensions on the rise, India's Supreme Court intervened on Sunday, ordering police to ease restrictions on access to designated protest sites. It also directed authorities to review barricades set up across New Delhi and ensure metro and rail services continued to operate normally, unless further measures were necessary to maintain public order.
Demonstrators stage flash protests across New Delhi over voter roll revisions
Demonstrators stage flash protests across New Delhi over voter roll revisions
