Protests in Delhi trigger massive security crackdown and detentions

Protesters in India’s national capital are demonstrating against the alleged disenfranchisement of 130 million voters. The demonstrations have met with an unprecedented security response, including the deployment of thousands of security personnel and multi-layer barricades around central Delhi and Parliament Street.

Authorities have implemented significant disruptions to movement and communication, including the closure of 45 metro stations and the suspension of internet and telecommunications services within a four-kilometer radius of Jantar Mantar. The Indian Railways cancelled over 250 trains to Delhi, and activists traveling from other states reported being detained on moving trains.

Reports indicate over 7,000 detentions have occurred, alongside allegations of custodial torture and sexual harassment. The heavy security presence and use of preventive detentions have drawn comparisons to the Emergency era of the 1970s, with critics arguing that the government is using its security apparatus to suppress the fundamental right to protest.