新德里：10月9日星期五，在计划于次日举行的抗议活动前夕，数千名警察被部署至印度首都。此次抗议旨在要求选举委员会主席吉亚内什·库马尔因涉嫌操纵选民名单而辞职。
NEW DELHI: Thousands of police were deployed across the Indian capital on Friday (Oct 9), a day before planned protests to demand the election commission chief step down over alleged voter-roll irregularities.
本月以来，印度选举委员会发起的“选民名单专项核查行动”引发了多场抗议。该委员会称此举旨在剔除重复登记及不符合资格的选民。然而反对党及批评人士则指责此举意在剥夺部分选民的投票权，从而有利于总理纳伦德拉·莫迪领导的印度人民党。
Demonstrations have erupted this month over the Election Commission of India's (ECI) "special intensive revision" of electoral rolls, which the commission says is intended to remove duplicate and ineligible voters. Opposition parties and critics allege the exercise could disenfranchise voters to the benefit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party A wave of street protests, including in New Delhi, have attracted key leaders from India's main opposition Congress party, including Rahul Gandhi, who was briefly detained during rallies this week Protesters, including from the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, are calling for mass rallies in New Delhi on Saturday.
新德里等地已爆发多轮街头抗议，印度主要反对党国大党的多位核心领导人也参与其中，包括拉胡尔·甘地。本周他在集会期间一度遭短暂拘留。包括由青年发起的“蟑螂民众党”在内的抗议者，呼吁于周六在新德里举行大规模集会。
作为议会反对党领袖，拉胡尔·甘地及其他反对派领导人预计将于周五晚些时候拜会总统德鲁帕迪·穆尔穆，就选举委员会主席吉亚内什·库马尔的不当行为提出申诉。
Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in parliament, and other opposition leaders are expected to meet President Droupadi Murmu later Friday to complain about ECI chief Gyanesh Kumar.
作为负责主持选举工作的印度宪法机构，选举委员会已否认所有违规指控。据印度报业托拉斯报道，为应对抗议活动，首都已部署超过2万名警察及准军事人员。
The ECI, India's constitutional body responsible for conducting elections, has rejected allegations of wrongdoing. More than 20,000 police and paramilitary officers have been deployed in the capital ahead of the protest, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
法新社记者观察到，市中心主要道路上已设置大量黄色金属路障，限制民众进入政府指定的抗议地点——简塔曼塔广场。目前警方尚未批准在该地举行集会。
Yellow metal barricades have sprung up across key roads in the city centre, restricting access to the government-designated protest site of Jantar Mantar, AFP reporters saw. Police have not authorised rallies at the site.
“蟑螂民众党”于今年5月以网络讽刺政治运动的形式诞生，此前曾成功发起抗议活动迫使时任教育部长下台。该党现号召周六在新德里开展“大规模动员”，计划向简塔曼塔广场进发。
The Cockroach Janta Party emerged online in May as a satirical political movement and led protests at Jantar Mantar - which succeeded in a campaign to oust the then education minister The CJP has called for a "mass mobilisation" in New Delhi on Saturday, including an intended march to Jantar Mantar.
该运动组织声称，在原定示威活动开始前，其志愿者和支持者遭到警方拘留——对于这些指控，警方并未作出回应。
The movement has claimed that its volunteers and supporters were being detained by police ahead of the planned demonstration - allegations police did not respond to.
“德里警方简直就是印度人民党的私人武装，”CJP活动人士索拉夫·达斯在社交媒体上写道。
"Delhi police is working like the BJP's private militia," CJP activist Saurav Das said in a post on social media.