Detainees escape police buses at Delhi election protest

Detained protesters managed to escape custody during ongoing demonstrations in New Delhi calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over disputed changes to the country's voter rolls.

The unrest has unfolded over three consecutive days, with Delhi Police detaining more than 700 people on Friday alone, including former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, according to local media. Protesters say the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision has stripped more than 130 million names from voter rolls nationwide, disproportionately affecting Muslim-majority areas, in a process they allege favors Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling BJP. The Election Commission maintains the revision is meant to remove duplicate, deceased, or ineligible entries.

The demonstrations have drawn criticism from Amnesty International, which said the right to peaceful protest "does not depend on government approval," while some protesters have alleged police violence; one JNU student said she was "dragged by my hair." Separately, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and dozens of MPs were briefly detained during a related march to the Election Commission's headquarters.