Indian authorities briefly detained the leader of the country’s main opposition party in widening anti-establishment demonstrations. The latest protests center around anger over a review of India’s electoral roll that has resulted in tens of millions of people being deleted; critics, who argue the exercise is politically motivated and anti-democratic, have demanded the head of the election commission resign, while the Supreme Court has said the government must hold officials accountable.
Earlier demonstrations erupted over mismanagement of a string of public examinations, and broader youth disenchantment with the authorities. “All over the world, democracy means people chose their government,” one protester told The New York Times. “But here, the government chooses who can be a voter.”
