Two leaders of the Indian Cockroach Movement, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, have been sentenced to five days in jail following a protest in New Delhi. The leaders were among a group arrested after scaling barricades at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest location in the city center, and entering a restricted demonstration area. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi condemned the arrests, stating Jantar Mantar “belongs to the Indian people.” Several movement leaders were arrested before the demonstration against Prime Minister Modi fully began, facing roadblocks of police vehicles equipped with tear gas, internet shutdowns, and metro station closures. The arrests followed days of protests over a controversial revision of voter lists that demonstrators claim will disenfranchise millions of Indian citizens. Protesters are demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, the head of the Indian Election Commission, while the commission maintains the revision is necessary to remove invalid registrations.

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