Youth-led protests in India have intensified as authorities shut down a key demonstration site in Delhi and detained two movement leaders for defying suppression orders. The unrest, originally sparked by economic grievances over education and joblessness, has now shifted demands toward securing voting rights, prompting accusations that the government is undermining democratic participation. International human rights groups have condemned the government’s response, warning of a broader pattern of repression that risks deepening authoritarian tendencies. Critics argue the crackdown contradicts official denials of any effort to disenfranchise voters.
A fresh wave of protests by India’s youth-led Cockroach movement has been met with a brutal crackdown by Narendra Modi’s government and the closure of a historic protest site in Delhi. Two of the movement’s leaders have been imprisoned for five days for violating suppression measures. The protests, which began over frustration about education and unemployment, are now focused on voting rights. Modi’s government denies claims it is seeking to disenfranchise millions of voters. But its treatment of protesters has been criticised by the UN and Amnesty International and raised concerns that India is sliding further into autocracy. Lucy Hough speaks to South Asia correspondent Hannah Ellis-Petersen – watch on YouTube Continue reading...
