As protestors in India are detained by the thousands, dozens gather in Vancouver in solidarity

Dozens gather in Vancouver in solidarity after protests in India result in thousands of arrests

Electoral manipulation protests in India's capital, demonstrators in Vancouver aim to raise awareness

Pablo Khan, from Mumbai, India, says his brother and sister were detained by police in New Delhi while protesting Saturday against alleged electoral manipulation in the country.

One day later, Khan was among a group of about 50 people gathered in downtown Vancouver in solidarity with those protesting in India — and to demonstrate their right to peacefully protest after mass detentions in New Delhi.

"They were picked up off the road while chatting with reporters like I’m doing right now and thrown into a bus," Khan said.

He said they were later released, "but [were] still followed by the police all the way home."

The Vancouver demonstration comes after about 2,400 people were detained by Delhi Police on Saturday, according to a police spokesperson who spoke to Reuters. Most were released the same night.

Hundreds more demonstrators were reportedly detained Sunday as protests continued in New Delhi.

Protesters in India have been calling for the removal of the country’s chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, after a nationwide review of voter lists resulted in about 130-million names being deleted from electoral rolls.

Khan said he showed up in Vancouver Sunday to "stand up for democracy."

He described New Delhi as being turned into a fortress, packed with thousands of police officers who are "randomly picking people off the streets and throwing them into detention centres."

Organizers in Vancouver say that as the protest broke out in India’s capital, there were thousands of police personnel, transit was shut down and internet was suspended in parts of the city — and people are scared.

Zahara Czar, demonstration organizer, says "the world is watching" and hopes Canada will condemn actions of the Indian government. (Arden McLeod/CBC)

"Protesters were being harassed. [They] were being snatched by their hair," said Zahara Czar, a co-organizer of Sunday’s demonstration in Vancouver.

According to reporting by Reuters, India’s Election Commission has denied allegations of manipulation, attributing the removal of millions of names to voters who had relocated, could not be traced or had died.

The commission says the process is intended to remove ineligible registrations and that eligible voters who were wrongly removed can re-register.

India detains thousands as 'Cockroach' youth movement protests voter list revision

But opposition parties allege that the commission removed legitimate voters to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in state elections, allegations both the commission and BJP deny.

The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) called on the Indian government to respect the right to peaceful assembly and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of anyone "arbitrarily detained."

"Restrictions on peaceful protests must meet strict tests of necessity and proportionality," said UN spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan.

Back in Vancouver, Czar said she couldn’t imagine "walking the streets of New Delhi today," fearing she might be subject to harassment or abuse.

"We’re very scared for our democracy," she said.

Arden McLeod, from Vancouver, is an associate producer with CBC News. He has a passion for community storytelling, local news, and reflecting the values of B.C. He graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology's broadcast and online journalism program. You can reach him at Arden.McLeod@cbc.ca.