Delhi Protest Leaders Jailed After Entering Newly Closed Jantar Mantar Site

The protests centre on changes to India's voter rolls. Opposition parties say the revisions favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party, according to NPR, which reported that authorities had removed more than 130 million names from the rolls. Allegations of electoral manipulation remain allegations, not established findings in the supplied coverage.

The youth-led Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, has joined demands for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The BBC reported that protesters were seeking his departure over alleged voter roll irregularities.

The dispute also became a fight over where people could demonstrate. On October 12, Delhi Police removed Jantar Mantar's designation as a protest venue and named three alternatives, according to The Hindu.

On October 12, opposition parties marched to the Supreme Court as protests over voter lists escalated, NPR reported. A petition challenging the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, was also brought before the court, according to Mint.

On October 13, CJP leaders entered the barricaded Jantar Mantar site, one day after its removal from the list of designated protest venues. They were detained, according to CNA.

Police then filed a case against Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. NDTV India reported that the action followed their entry into the site and slogans demanding Kumar's resignation. Times of India reported that police also alleged violations of a previously signed peace bond.

The crackdown extended to people covering the demonstrations. On October 13, Al Jazeera reported that police had detained at least 35 media workers over a 48-hour period.

On October 14, Das and Ranka were sent to five days of judicial custody. Business Line reported that the case included charges of trespassing, violating prohibitory orders, breaching a peace bond and obstructing a public servant.

Protests continued that day. The Hindu reported hundreds detained as student and youth organisations marched through central Delhi, demanding the scrapping of SIR, Kumar's resignation and the restoration of Jantar Mantar as a protest site.

The latest custody reports place Das and Ranka in jail for five days following the October 14 order, according to The Guardian. Reports differ on the number of leaders jailed: Deutsche Welle reported three, while several other accounts described two. Scroll.in named Ajinkya Shinde alongside Das and Ranka among those whose arrests opposition parties condemned.

Police have cited repeated violations, according to Indian Express. Amnesty International, describing the attempted protests as peaceful, called for Das and Ranka's immediate release. The competing positions leave both the arrests and restrictions on the site at the centre of the dispute.

The parallel court challenge to voter roll changes has faced procedural obstacles. India News reported that the Supreme Court registry identified 14 defects in the opposition petition, delaying its listing for a hearing.

On October 15, The Hindu reported that the Supreme Court was likely to hear the opposition leaders' SIR petition that day. The supplied coverage does not establish whether that hearing took place or what the court decided.

The next announced street gathering is on October 16. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has called for a "Lehra Do Tiranga" gathering at Central Park, Connaught Place, according to The Hindu. Whether that proceeds, and how authorities respond, will be the next test of the continuing protest campaign.