Thousands of Indians have taken to the streets for a third consecutive day demanding the resignation of the country’s chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, amid allegations of irregularities in the voter-registration process and a police investigation into sexual harassment claims arising from earlier protests.
The demonstrations, which began on Friday, have centred on a large-scale revision of India’s electoral register that protesters allege has resulted in millions of names being removed from voter lists. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has rejected allegations of wrongdoing, while Kumar has yet to publicly comment on the controversy.
In Mumbai on Sunday 4th October 2026, thousands of demonstrators marched with Indian flags, calling for Kumar to step down and accusing the electoral authorities of undermining the integrity of the country’s elections.
“Mumbai is out on the streets again for free and fair elections,” founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, Abhijeet Dipke, said in a social media post, urging Indians to unite over what he described as a critical moment for democracy.
The Cockroach Janta Party, which began in May as a satirical online movement, has emerged as one of the more visible groups in the protests. The movement previously claimed success in a campaign that contributed to the ouster of India’s then education minister.
The protests have also taken a contentious turn in New Delhi, where police have opened an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment involving officers during demonstrations on Saturday.
The allegations were reportedly made by three female journalists following the detention of scores of protesters around Jantar Mantar, the government-designated protest area in the capital.
Delhi Police, in a statement, confirmed that allegations of sexual harassment had been made against police officers and pledged to conduct a “fair and impartial enquiry.”
One of the complainants alleged in a video posted on social media that a police officer pushed and touched her inappropriately during the incident.
On Sunday, dozens of activists, including supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party, gathered outside a police station in New Delhi, demanding immediate action against the officers accused of misconduct.
CJP activist Saurav Das said a delegation accompanying one of the alleged victims had entered the police station to pursue the complaint, while Dipke demanded the immediate arrest of the officer accused in the allegations.
The electoral controversy has widened into a broader political confrontation, with opposition parties accusing the Election Commission of acting in the interests of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
The opposition has announced plans to march to the Election Commission’s headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday before taking the campaign to other parts of the country through a series of “Save Democracy” rallies.
The Cockroach Janta Party has also called for what it described as a “massive mobilisation of young Indians” in New Delhi on October 10, signalling that the protests could escalate in the coming days.
