India opposition parties protest voter list revision

India’s opposition parties held a protest Monday calling for the rollback of a revision of the voter list in one of the country’s poorest states, where key elections are scheduled in November, and warning it could lead to voter disenfranchisement.

- SHEIKH SAALIQ

MANISH SWARUP Associated Press OPPOSITION lawmakers try to break through a police barricade during the protest in New Delhi.

Hundreds of lawmakers and supporters began the protest from Parliament and were confronted by police, who stopped them from marching toward the Election Commission of India office in the capital, New Delhi. Police briefly detained some lawmakers, including opposition leader Rahul Gandhi.

The opposition accuses the commission of rushing through a mammoth electoral roll revision in the state of Bihar, saying the exercise could render vast numbers of citizens unable to vote. The revision of nearly 80 million voters involves strict documentation requirements from citizens, triggering concerns it could lead to the exclusion of vulnerable groups, especially those who are unable to produce the paperwork required to prove their citizenship.