【Epoch Times News, October 12, 2026】The implementation of the “Special Intensive Revision” (SIR) policy in India’s voter list by authorities has sparked ongoing protests. On Monday, after the opposition announced plans to demonstrate outside the Supreme Court, the Delhi Metro Corporation closed the entry and exit gates of 6 metro stations until 4 pm and imposed traffic restrictions on multiple roads.
Since the beginning of this month, supporters of the Indian National Congress (INC) and the “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) have taken to the streets demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Protesters have accused the authorities of favoring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the voter list revision policy.
The voter list verification policy that began last year has resulted in approximately 130 million names being removed from the voter list, including deceased individuals, migrants, and those who could not be reached.
Over the weekend, Delhi police detained over 2,000 protesters, including leaders of the “Cockroach Janta Party”. Supporters of this youth movement attempted to hold demonstrations but were blocked by a large number of security personnel in central Delhi.
On the evening of October 11, the Indian main opposition party INC announced plans to march to the Supreme Court to submit a memorandum to the Chief Justice, demanding an end to the BJP’s “vote stealing” behavior and urging Kumar to resign.
On the 12th, the entry and exit gates of six metro stations in New Delhi – Janpath, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, Central Secretariat, Rajiv Chowk, and Patel Chowk – were closed from 6 am to 4 pm for “security reasons”. The police also implemented traffic restrictions and diversions on over 20 road sections.
According to Congress party sources, Chief Justice Surya Kant rejected the party’s request for a meeting via email, stating that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the delegation should file an application through legal channels, as the court has already taken up the matter for judicial resolution.
The “Cockroach Janta Party” stated that their leader will meet with Delhi police to “demand” a specific date for a peaceful protest and warned that if approval is not granted within 24 hours, a new round of protests will be announced.
The “Cockroach Janta Party” has launched several protests in recent months on issues ranging from public school infrastructure to employment problems, becoming one of the biggest political challenges facing the Modi government.
These protests stem from a report in the Indian Express last month regarding voter list revisions and concerns within the Election Commission. The report revealed that Kumar’s two deputies had raised concerns internally about voter list revision, registration procedures, and the digital system.
Election Commission data shows that during the verification process, around 130 million people were removed from the voter list, including 28 million deceased individuals, 63 million migrants, and 30 million unreachable individuals.
The opposition has accused that the disproportionately affected voters removed from the list include Muslims and ethnic minority voters who are less likely to support the ruling BJP.
In response, the Election Commission denied favoring any political party and stated that those mistakenly removed from the list could register again. The ruling BJP, on the other hand, accused the opposition of attempting to “undermine the country’s democratic system” through unfounded questioning of legitimate electoral procedures.