India

Young protesters in New Delhi have adopted a range of improvised methods, from Batman masks and offline maps to tracking police vans, as they seek to continue demonstrations demanding the resignation of India’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar.

The protests have unfolded amid a major security operation in the capital. Tens of thousands of security personnel were deployed in key areas to prevent demonstrators from gathering at Jantar Mantar, the main protest venue that has been removed as a designated location for protests.

Rather than assembling at one fixed site, demonstrators have staged short, unannounced protests in other locations, catching authorities off guard. The action continued despite thousands of reported detentions over the weekend in the capital, although many of those detained were later released.

Protesters accuse the Election Commission of altering voter rolls in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party. The constitutional body has denied the allegation.

Volunteer network tracks detainees

Among those assisting protesters was Meghnad S., a 36-year-old content creator who worked with a group of about 170 volunteers over the weekend to follow police vehicles and identify where detainees were being taken.

Once a detention location was identified, the information was entered into a digital dashboard that linked detainees with volunteer drivers, Meghnad told AFP. Volunteers coordinated through a WhatsApp group to establish who was nearby, what vehicle was available and whether it had food, water and fuel.

“Once we get to know where the detainees are, we have a WhatsApp group where we ask if any volunteer driver is around, what car they have, if it is stocked with food, water, fuel,” Meghnad said. He added that organisers would try to arrange for a doctor to travel with a driver where medical help might be needed. “Once those checks are done, we try and get a doctor in our network to join the driver on the way, in case the detainees need medical assistance.”

Efforts to avoid identification

Student leader Neha Bora, 29, drew attention after police detained a person who resembled her. Bora herself got through the security cordon and ran towards central Delhi before she was eventually detained, according to AFP.

She later shared a photograph with her lookalike and described their similarity as “pure coincidence, not strategy”.

Some protesters said officers had struggled to pursue younger demonstrators on foot. One protester told reporters that police “pant after running just 50 metres”.

Demonstrators were also seen clinging to one another while being taken towards waiting buses. Some later escaped through the driver’s seat or a rear window, AFP reported.

Several protesters interviewed by AFP wore Batman masks, saying they were trying to avoid identification. Others looked for ways to reduce the risk of facial recognition or camera surveillance.

Bollywood actor Richa Chadha posted a video on social media on Sunday in which she applied make-up to her face and offered advice to demonstrators. “Dear protesters, since you're being filmed without your consent, try using make-up to dodge surveillance/facial recognition cameras,” she said.