Reporters Accuse Indian Police of Targeting Journalists at Youth-Led Protests

Nearly three dozen journalists covering youth-led protests in New Delhi were detained for hours and later released, according to interviews by Reuters. Reporters said police roughly handled some of them and seized their phones, despite their visible press credentials. The demonstrations, led by the Cockroach Janta Party, demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid a dispute over voter-list revisions. Press groups called the detentions a blatant attack on press freedom. Police said some protesters had posed as journalists; the government did not immediately comment.