Anti-Gyanesh Kumar Protest in London; Dhruv Rathee, Indian Diaspora Gather at Gandhi Statue
China expressed willingness to address mutual trade concerns with India as the trade deficit widened to USD 105.93 billion in the first nine months of 2026.
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee joined a protest outside the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square, London, on Saturday, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar Gupta. Rathee, who was detained ahead of the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protest in Delhi on October 10, joined members of the Indian diaspora protesting against the poll body chief over alleged irregularities in India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Earlier on Saturday, Rathee announced his arrival in London and called on Indians to join the protest at Parliament Square. He later joined the demonstrators, raised slogans and delivered a speech at the event, which was organised by the Congress party and UK-based student groups, according to a report by The Times of India.
Hundreds of Indian students attended the protest, waving flags of the Indian Workers Association, the Congress and communist organisations. The demonstration was organised by the Students’ Federation of India–UK (SFI-UK) and other groups. Protesters raised slogans such as “Modi is a traitor”, “Azadi” (freedom) and “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod!” (Vote thief, leave the throne). Some participants also carried a stuffed toy monkey.
I’ve just reached London It’s time the world sees the reality of vote chor and murderer of democracy. International danka bajane ka time aa gaya hai Join the protest tomorrow in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in parliament square at 12pm if you’re here Jai Hind 🇮🇳
— Dhruv Rathee (@dhruv_rathee) October 16, 2026
“We don’t want any foreign interference. I am here at Parliament Square to address Indians and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs),” Rathee said in Hindi while addressing the gathering.
“It is important to spread the message against ‘vote chori’ in our country. These protests will stop the moment the Chief Election Commissioner is replaced by a candidate chosen through an agreement between the government and the Leader of the Opposition,” he said.
Rathee’s address followed chants of “Inquilab Zindabad” and “Vande Mataram”, as well as a reading of the Preamble to the Constitution of India.
Indian Diaspora’s Counter-Protest
Meanwhile, members of India Diaspora (ID) UK staged a counter-protest on Friday. In a statement, its founder, Hirdesh Gupta, issued an “urgent appeal to all London Bharat Premi Janta” to gather for the demonstration. “The Indian diaspora in the UK stands firmly, shoulder to shoulder, with Modi Ji and his government in their vision of a strong, united and developed India,” Gupta said.
Saturday’s demonstration was part of a series of protests that began on Tuesday with an “Emergency Protest” aimed at amplifying the CJP’s demands. These include Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and the cancellation of India’s SIR of electoral rolls. The Election Commission has maintained that the revision exercise is intended to update electoral rolls by identifying deceased voters, duplicate entries, people who have moved from their registered addresses and other ineligible entries.
