India news: Opposition doubles down after detentions

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Below, you can review the top headlines from India from Thursday, October 8:

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CJP's Dipke vows to 'hit the streets' till election chief resigns

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) Founder Abhijeet Dipke said he, along with other demonstrators, would continue to protest until Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resigned, while speaking at a protest in the southern city of Bengaluru over the mass deletion of voters from India's electoral rolls.

"One two three four, Narendra Modi vote thief," the crowd chanted on Dipke's direction. The slogan rhymes when spoken in Hindi.

Other slogans at the event included calls for dismissing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. That's the exercise that led to the deletion of over 130 million Indian voters from record in the first place. Dipke also accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "murdering democracy."

Today's demonstrations in Bengaluru will include a 'People's Tribunal,' Indian media reported, where people from across the southern state are expected to attend and outline their grievances with SIR. That will be followed by a march.

If you're looking for the details on what the protest is about, why opposition leaders and activists are calling for the election chief's resignation and how this relates to PM Modi, scroll a few posts below to our brief explainer.

Award-winning Kashmiri filmmaker detained in US

A filmmaker whose award-winning work has explored conflict in his native Kashmir has been detained by United States immigration officials on suspicion of residing and working in the country illegally.

Arfat Sheikh was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after disembarking a flight from California at Washington Dulles International Airport on September 24, according to a statement from friends and relatives who labeled his detention "unlawful" and are calling for his release.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, confirmed to the Reuters news agency on Wednesday that Sheikh had "legally entered the US on a temporary basis and illegally overstayed his lawful admittance."

Sheikh, 42, entered the US in 2019 on a student visa and enrolled on a graduate course in film studies at Georgia State University, according to the statement from friends and family.

Having applied for asylum in 2020, the statement said he had a ​pending immigration application and was authorized to work and live in the US. It did not mention the ground for asylum.

Sheikh, who hails from India-administered Kashmir, won the Emerging Filmmaker Activist Award at the Teaneck International Film Festival in 2025.

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Opposition creating 'atmosphere of anarchy,' says Modi's party

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday slammed protesting opposition leaders for "creating an atmosphere of anarchy" and "undermining the constitution," according to Press Trust of India.

This comes as hundreds of opposition lawmakers including Modi's arguably biggest challenger, Rahul Gandhi, protests in New Delhi over 'vote theft' and demands the resignation of India's Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

"It would not be wrong to say that all the allegations being levelled by Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and various Opposition parties, that democracy is being destroyed, raise the question: what is the basis for these allegations?" BJP National Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said at a press conference in Delhi.

"These are baseless allegations being leveled by an irresponsible opposition. The claim that democracy is being destroyed and that the constitution is being undermined has no basis and not an iota of evidence," he told reporters.

Indian opposition leaders are scheduled to protest in central Delhi today for the third straight day, without police permission. As per Indian media, Indian National Congress (INC) President Mallikarjun Kharge is hosting protesting MPs at a well-known eatery not far from the designated protest site of Jantar Mantar. They will likely protest after lunch.

On Wednesday, the lawmakers met at a different eatery followed by a march towards the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Veteran actor Nana Patekar dies at 75

Nana Patekar, a well-known Indian actor and filmmaker, died on Thursday after what Indian media reported was a severe heart attack. He was 75.

Patekar passed away at his home in the scenic state of Goa but was later taken to a hospital where doctors pronounced him dead, news agency Press Trust of India reported.

It said Patekar was found unconscious in his apartment and could not be revived despite 45 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Authorities will conduct postmortem procedures to ascertain the cause of the death, the report said.

Born in 1951 in the western state of Maharashtra, Patekar built his career over five decades, largely in Hindi and Marathi-language cinema. He was known for his intense, often complex roles, punctuated with unconventional comedy.

In his early work, he earned acclaim for movies like "Parinda" where he played a ruthless crime lord in the menacing setting of the underworld-dominant Mumbai. One of his better-loved movies includes "Khamoshi" — a musical in which Patekar portrays Joseph, a loving yet stubborn deaf and mute father to the lead actress.

India's millennials saw the actor in lighter, comedy dramas like "Taxi No. 9211" where he played a taxi driver who wrecks havoc in a rich man's life after accidentally coming in possession of the key to the latter's wealth. Still, one of his most memorable roles will be that of underworld boss Uday Shetty in the 2007 movie "Welcome." His iconic dialogue from the movie are often meme-d and casually repeated among groups of friends.

Patekar was the recipient of three National Film Awards, several Indian Cinema Awards and state awards. He also received a Padma Shree, India's fourth-highest civilian honor.

In 2018, during India's #MeToo movement, an actress accused Patekar of sexually harassing her on the sets of a movie in 2008.

The actress alleged that he was present on the sets of song which did not feature him and tried to physically get close to her under the pretext of teaching dance moves.

Authorities had launched a formal investigation into the claims, which Patekar consistently denied. The probe was closed approximately a year later due to the lack of sufficient evidence.

India denies bias after Musk's 'oligarchs' jab, says satellite rules 'fair'

India on Thursday defended its satellite internet approval process, hours after US tech mogul Elon Musk accused unnamed "oligarchs" of blocking Starlink's launch in the country.

In a post on X, Musk had said "certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people," were blocking Starlink from entering the Indian market.

"You can guess who they are... This is a crime against the people of India!" he added.

India's telecom market is currently dominated by billionaires Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio and Sunil Mittal's Airtel. Both their satellite internet ventures, along with Musk's Starlink, have secured early approvals in India but are awaiting spectrum assignments.

For Starlink, this wait has stretched on for four years.

"The suggestion that the ‌framework ​or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived," officials said in a statement. "Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all the three licensees. As and when this process is completed for a licensed entity, it may proceed to the next step," the statement read.

Musk has previously too been at odds with Mittal and Ambani over how India should assign spectrum reach.

FYI: spectrum refers to the invisible radio frequencies which enable mobile calls, text messages, and data transmission.

For Musk's Starlink, at stake is access to a satellite broadband market which Deloitte forecasts will be worth $1.9 billion by 2030.

Starlink's India saga also features a layer of India-US diplomacy. Washington has pushed for greater access for Starlink as a goodwill marker in trade talks with countries burdened with President Donald Trump's tariffs. All of this while New Delhi and Washington are yet to finalize a trade deal since reaching an interim framework in February.

Indian workers who built US consulate in Milan agree to record payout

Foreign workers, mostly Indian, building a vast new US consulate compound in Milan, Italy, signed agreements on Wednesday securing payouts averaging tens of thousands of euros each.

The payout is over alleged labor abuses while working for an American construction company.

Over 60 laborers signed the deal to receive their share of a €31 million (nearly $35 million) settlement with Alabama-based Caddell Construction. Prosecutors say this is the largest-ever settlement over labor exploitation in Europe.

The payouts include unpaid overtime, reimbursement for housing illegally deducted from their pay and other hefty damages sought by the prosecutors.

Dilip Ram, a 43-year-old mason from India who worked at the Milan site for over two years, said that the money would go a long way to help his family of five in the Indian state of Bihar.

"Things are better now than before …we get more rest now," Ram said, after signing the deal. "This has led to a lot of change. This settlement will be good. Because the workers had troubles, that’s why this settlement has been applied."

Prosecutors alleged that workers were paid less than $2 (€1.8) an hour, were illegally docked money for housing and denied overtime for working up to 10 hours a day, six days a week. They were reportedly also subjected to threats and not given proper medical care when injured on the job.

While most of the workers were from India, others were from Nigeria, Kenya and Bangladesh.

The Indian workers reported having to pay €5,000 ($5,600) to recruiters to get the jobs. However, the current settlement could not address abuses in India as that is out of its jurisdiction.

India seeks update from Moscow on Indian nationals working with Russian military

India has sought an update from Russian authorities on the whereabouts of 69 Indian nationals reportedly working for the Russian military, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters on Wednesday evening.

Jaiswal said this during a routine media briefing. The ministry has been consistently urging Moscow to repatriate all Indian nationals serving in the Russian military since it found outthat some 259 people had been recruited into the armed forces since the war in Ukraine began.

"Of these, through our efforts, so far, 139 Indian nationals have seen early discharge from the Russian Army," Jaiswal said.

"We are following up with the Russian authorities for updates on the whereabouts of 69 Indian nationals who are reportedly with the Russian Army," he added.

51 Indians have died so far while fighting for Russia on the front lines of Ukraine, according to Indian media.

Jaiswal warned against the "grave danger" of taking up jobs in the Russian military, saying "I once again want to urge that Indian nationals must stay away from offers being made to join the Russian Army."

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Cockroach party claims 1000s of volunteers detained across states ahead of Delhi march

While India's opposition is protesting against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), so are other activists and student groups.

One such group is pressure group the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) which has already led a protest demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation in western city of Mumbai, earlier this week. They are scheduled to participate in a similar protest in Bengaluru today and lead one in Delhi on October 10.

CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka on Thursday claimed that thousands of the group's volunteers had been detained across states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal "on the grounds that they were planning to attend the October 10th protest."

"How many will you arrest? There are over 250 million cockroaches," he said on X, using the group's chosen term for its supporters.

"Modi thinks he can silence dissent by putting people behind bars. The more people you detain, the more people will show up!" CJP Founder Abhijeet Dipke said in a post on X.

Police authorities in these states have not commented on the matter so far.

All you need to know about the protests

Pressure on Kumar intensified in September after the Indian Express newspaper reported that two of the three election commissioners had formally raised concerns over aspects of the Special Intensive Revisions (SIR) at least 14 times over the past 10 months.

The objections relate to new voter registrations, deletion and restoration of voters in the rolls, filing of appeals against orders restoring voters in the SIR process and the custody and security of the entire electoral roll itself, the report said.

In one of the objections, Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu reportedly complained that the Kumar acted against the written advice of himself and Commissioner Vivek Joshi and claimed his actions was "unauthorized and illegal."

However, the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued a statement dismissing concerns of an internal rift, saying differing views were a "normal" part of deliberations and that all its actions were lawful.

According to Election Commission data cited by Indian media, over 130 million names have been excluded from the draft electoral rolls since the revision began in October 25. That's roughly the population of Mexico. In India, it adds up to about 15% of the electorate.

Not all the exclusions are contested as they also took double entries and deaths into account.

A clearer idea of wrongfully excluded voters can only emerge after the exercise is complete across the nation.

How has the election body responded?

After denying a rift, the ECI has since taken a number of measures to improve internal procedures and transparency. It has also directed a "special drive" in 20 states and union territories to include voters who have been left out of the rolls due to solvable errors.

How do these protests relate to Modi and his party?

The protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar are partially being viewed as renewed pressure on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

The reason behind it may not be immediately obvious since the ECI is meant to be an independent body. But this might help:

The commission is responsible for overseeing elections and related projects such as the SIR exercise, which is meant to remove redundancies in India's electoral rolls.

Opposition leaders and critics have argued that those struck off in the exercise include a heavy proportion of minority voters and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP is using it as a tool to secure future electoral wins. They have also accused ECI chief Kumar of doing the central government's bidding even though the institute is meant to maintain its independence.

The BJP has dismissed those claims, arguing that those removed largely involve dead voters and illegal infiltrators, thereby protecting India's democracy.

India's opposition alliance plans third day of protest against election chief

A bloc of Indian political parties, in alliance against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP party, is expected to stage a protest in central Delhi on Thursday to demand the resignation of India's Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged misconduct.

Opposition leaders including Indian National Congress' Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra are visibly at the forefront of the protest.

On Tuesday, Gandhi, Vadra, their supporters and over 200 allied Members of Parliament (MPs) marched on the Election Commission of India (ECI) to demand a meeting with Kumar. When blocked by the Delhi police, they began an impromptu sit in which ended with temporary detentions.

On Wednesday, the INC hosted a lunch-meeting in Delhi for about 200 MPs to discuss action against the CEC. Post lunch, they loaded up in buses to move towards the designated protest site of Jantar Mantar in central Delhi. Eventually on foot, the lawmakers were stopped by the police again.

A live feed on the YouTube channel of Gandhi's party showed police officials taking him into a vehicle and driving away. His sibling and lawmaker Vadra was also detained but taken to a different police station, as per Indian media.

Both were released sometime after 8:00 p.m local time (1430 GMT).

Gandhi and his fellow demonstrators have been demanding meetings with the Election Commission of India, Indian President Droupadi Murmu and a resignation from CEC Kumar.

They claim that Kumar is an agent of the Modi government and has been helping the Bharatiya Janata Party by rigging elections in their favor. These are significant and unprecedented accusations against the ECI — long regarded as one of the India's most trusted independent institutions.

"I am thankful to every INDIA alliance MP standing firm in defense of our democracy - in Parliament, outside on the streets, and today near Jantar Mantar. They can stop a march. They can refuse a meeting. But they cannot stop the will of our people," Gandhi said on a post on X. "Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Gyanesh Kumar and the entire system will be brought to justice," he wrote.

Modi's party and the election body reject the allegations.

Good morning! And welcome to DW's India blog.

This is Mahima Kapoor reporting from Studio Delhi, and I will be your guide through the chaos of the Indian news cycle.

Protests against India's Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, over allegations of misconduct and bias, remain at the forefront with opposition leaders planning to stage protests in central Delhi for the third straight day. That's after opposition leader (and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's key competitor) Rahul Gandhi was detained by the police for a second time on Wednesday evening.

Gandhi seems to be aiming for a hat trick.

CEC Kumar is under fire for a controversial revision of electoral rolls in India which have reportedly deleted over 130 million voters from the official lists since the exercise began in 2025.

Aside from the opposition, the satirical Cockroach Janta Party said it will also peacefully demonstrate in the southern city of Bengaluru as it looks to mobilize all parts of the nation to "reclaim our democracy."

On the international front, India's Foreign Ministry said it has sought an update from Russian authorities on the whereabouts of some 69 Indian nationals. They are part of the group which was reportedly recruited for the Russian Army.

Stay tuned for all of this and more!