Neha Bora, the firebrand AISA president, leans out of a police vehicle on the Safdarjung flyover
Civil Society News, New Delhi
Published: Oct. 30, 2026
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The power of a bristling State was on full display in New Delhi as the Narendra Modi government cracked down on demonstrators seeking the resignation of the chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar.
A questionable revision of voter lists has resulted in 130 million citizens finding their names removed, prompting the spunky Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to launch a ‘Gyanu must go’ campaign in true Gen Z style.
Measures not dissimilar to those reserved for an internal emergency were imposed in the capital to stop people from protesting. An estimated 40,000 police personnel were put in position. The arrival of long-distance trains was deferred lest they bring in protesters. Metro stations were closed. The internet was blocked within a 4-km radius of Jantar Mantar, the protest venue. Diversions and barricades made it difficult to get around.
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