Crowds throng New Delhi and wave Indian flags amid escalating protests

Prominent student leader Neha Bora, center, shouts slogans as she is detained by the police during a youth demonstration demanding the resignation of the country's election chief Gyanesh Kumar, in New Delhi, India, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. Vipin/AP hide caption

NEW DELHI — Thousands of Indians thronged a bustling thoroughfare in the heart of the capital, waving the national flag and demanding the resignation of the country's election chief, the latest show of public dissent against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

The protesters rallied in Connaught Place, one of New Delhi's busiest commercial districts, responding to a call by the youth "Cockroach" movement, whose leader Abhijeet Dipke was detained by police ahead of the demonstration. Protesters spanning generations joined the rally, reflecting broad public anger and intensifying pressure on the country's top election official.

Protests by the youth and opposition parties have intensified over an ongoing review of voter lists that has removed more than 130 million names since last year. Critics say the exercise is politically motivated, threatens to disenfranchise millions more, and has disproportionately affected minorities, particularly Muslims. They have demanded the resignation of election chief Gyanesh Kumar.