The "Cockroaches" movement returns to the streets of India in protest against Modi

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The "Cockroaches" youth movement in India intends to organize new protests in the capital, New Delhi, on Saturday, escalating a campaign against the review of voter lists, which has sparked anger from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and electoral authorities.

According to the Associated Press, thousands of demonstrators are expected to gather in Jantar Mantar Square, amid tight security restrictions that included cutting off internet services on mobile phones, after the police announced, on Friday, that they had refused to allow the protest on the grounds of a delay in submitting an application to organize it.

The authorities surrounded the demonstration site with yellow metal barriers, and deployed thousands of police personnel in and around the area. Restrictions on train services and metro stations are also expected to disrupt movement across the capital, and make it difficult for demonstrators to reach the square.

The protests center on what the Election Commission of India calls an "intensive special review" of voter lists, a process the opposition says has deprived millions of eligible citizens of the right to vote.

The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Election Commission Chairman Gyanesh Kumar, and an end to the review process that has led to the removal of more than 130 million names from the lists so far, according to the report.

On the other hand, the Election Commission and the government reject accusations of tampering with voters’ votes, and confirm that the review aims to delete duplicate names and the names of those who are not eligible to vote.

This dispute places the electoral process at the heart of the confrontation between the protesters and the authorities, as opponents believe that the review affects the right of citizens to participate, while the government and the committee defend it as a measure to purify the lists.

According to the agency, the security preparations indicate the authorities’ determination to contain a rapidly growing protest campaign, which mobilized thousands of young people, attracted opposition support, and increased political pressure on Modi.

The call to demonstrate comes at a sensitive time, after months of protests led by the “cockroaches” movement over exam paper leaks, which forced the Minister of Education in Modi’s government to resign last July.

The movement is now returning to the streets with a new issue related to the right to vote, building on the momentum it achieved during its previous protests, while the authorities seek to restrict the upcoming gathering in the capital.

Between the demands to stop reviewing the lists and the authorities’ insistence on continuing the process, Saturday’s protests constitute a test of the movement’s ability to expand its campaign, in light of heavy security deployment and restrictions on communications and movement.