Dozens Rally in Vancouver as Mass Detentions Follow Election Protests in India
Sarah Desjardins
10/13/20262 min read
Dozens of demonstrators gathered in downtown Vancouver over the weekend in solidarity with protesters in India following mass detentions during demonstrations over the country’s electoral rolls.
About 50 people attended the Vancouver gathering Sunday, calling attention to the protests in New Delhi and expressing support for the right to peaceful demonstration.
Pablo Khan, who is originally from Mumbai, said his brother and sister were among those detained by police while participating in Saturday’s protests in the Indian capital.
“They were picked up off the road while chatting with reporters like I’m doing right now and thrown into a bus,” Khan said.
He said both were eventually released but alleged that police followed them home afterward.
Thousands Detained During Delhi Protests
More than 2,000 protesters were detained in Delhi on Saturday as security forces attempted to prevent a planned demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed, while mobile internet service was suspended in parts of central Delhi and dozens of metro stations and markets were closed.
Hundreds more protesters were detained Sunday as demonstrations continued.
Khan said he joined the Vancouver demonstration to “stand up for democracy.”
He described New Delhi as having been turned into a fortress, with large numbers of police officers deployed across the city.
Vancouver rally co-organizer Zahara Czar said organizers were concerned by reports emerging from India.
“Protesters were being harassed. [They] were being snatched by their hair,” Czar said.
Reuters reported allegations that some detainees were assaulted during the protests but said it was unable to independently verify those claims.
Voter-List Changes at Centre of Dispute
The protests have focused on a nationwide revision of India’s voter rolls that removed more than 130 million entries.
Election Commission data cited by Reuters says the removals included approximately 63 million people who had relocated, 30 million who could not be traced and 28 million who had died. The commission says eligible voters who were removed incorrectly can re-enrol.
Opposition parties and protest groups allege the changes disproportionately affected voters unlikely to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and could have benefited the BJP in elections.
Both the Election Commission and the BJP deny wrongdoing or political favouritism.
Protesters have called for Kumar to resign over the controversy.
“It happens all over the world,” was not the message here—rather, Vancouver organizers framed their gathering specifically as an act of solidarity with Indians concerned about the electoral process and the treatment of demonstrators.
UN Raises Human Rights Concerns
The United Nations Human Rights Office has also expressed concern about the mass detentions.
“We call on the authorities to ensure that the right to peaceful assembly is fully respected and fulfilled,” UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said, while also calling for meaningful dialogue over the concerns raised by protesters.
India’s mission to the United Nations in Geneva rejected the criticism, describing it as “unwarranted interference” in the country’s internal affairs and saying peaceful assembly is constitutionally protected subject to reasonable public-order restrictions.
Vancouver Demonstrators Say They Fear for India’s Democracy
Back in Vancouver, Czar said the events in New Delhi have left her worried about what protesters could face simply by taking to the streets.
She said she could not imagine walking through the Indian capital under the current circumstances without fearing harassment or detention.
“We’re very scared for our democracy,” she said.
The Vancouver gathering was one of the demonstrations outside India seeking to draw attention to the dispute, while protests inside the country have continued over the voter-list revisions and demands for Kumar’s resignation.
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