Modi Arrests Thousands of Young Protesters—and It's Backfiring

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried to crush a youth-led protest movement over the weekend. Instead, he may have made it stronger. His government detained thousands of young demonstrators in Delhi, arrested journalists, and shut down the capital. The protests were organized by the Cockroach Janta party (CJP), a group launched in May by Abhijeet Dipke. The party's name comes from a comment by India's chief justice, who compared jobless young people to "cockroaches." Police beat protesters and took many into custody. When the Supreme Court ordered that peaceful gatherings be protected, Modi's government ignored the ruling. The crackdown revealed weakness, not strength. It showed a government afraid of the voters it claims to represent. The protests continued anyway. On Monday, thousands marched in Delhi. They demanded the resignation of India's election chief. Reports say the names of over 130 million voters were removed from electoral rolls before recent elections—a move that would benefit Modi's Bharatiya Janata party (BJP). The election commission denies the charge. But some commissioners have raised concerns that voters' names were deleted without their knowledge. Modi cannot arrest his way out of this crisis.