“India’s Cockroach Protesters Defy Modi Crackdown as Leaders Jailed and Delhi Site Closed” — what this page in the network covers. Youth-led protests known as the Cockroach movement have surged in India, prompting a harsh response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Authorities have closed a historic protest site in Delhi and imprisoned two movement leaders for five days for violating suppression measures. The demonstrations, initially sparked by frustrations over education and unemployment, have now shifted focus to voting rights.
The government denies accusations that it is trying to disenfranchise millions of voters, but its treatment of protesters has drawn criticism from the United Nations and Amnesty International. These developments raise concerns that India is sliding further into autocracy. South Asia correspondent Hannah Ellis-Petersen analyzes the situation in a discussion with Lucy Hough, available on YouTube. For the complete material, the listing points back to the source inside the network.