South Asia

CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby, former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, SFI activists, lawyers, journalists and AISA leader Neha Bora were among those detained as protests targeted Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

From alleged house arrests and detentions to police checks on train journeys and restrictions in Delhi, activists say authorities are trying to stop citizens from reaching the October 10 protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over SIR

Nearly 14 lakh voters have been added to Bihar’s electoral rolls since SIR, the additions and subsequent enrolment exercise put the focus on eligible voters who have missed the 2025 Assembly election and the consequences of their exclusion

Karnataka has received 91,278 Form 7 applications seeking voter deletions, but officials say no names have been deleted so far. Complaints from Mangaluru, Kodagu and other districts allege bulk filings against eligible voters, including Muslims, as police investigate and electoral hearings continue

Bombay High Court directs Maharashtra government to explain recruitment backlog and restore trust; two of three protest sites remain occupied, with Rohit Pawar-led agitation refusing to move

Students who marched from Nashik are denied Azad Maidan protest, prevented from leaving Tilak Bhavan and forcefully transported out of the city

Public assembly demands the scrapping of SIR, accountability of the Election Commission and urgent safeguards against wrongful exclusion from electoral rolls

Majoritarianism that plagues India and many other democracies is the perversion of Dr. Ambedkar’s idea of democracy. While Dr. Ambedkar’s definition of democracy lays stress on effective and proportionate representation and safeguarding minority rights, majoritarianism is the dominance of a particular religious community, caste group, or racial group over the rest of the population.