National Citizen Party (NCP) spokesperson Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan has condemned the detention of youth activists in India ahead of a planned protest in Delhi, urging the Indian government to release them and respect their democratic rights.

In a post on his official Facebook page on Saturday evening, Asif criticised the Indian government over what he described as an attempt to silence young people demanding transparency and accountability.

He specifically condemned the detention of YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), ahead of the demonstration.

Asif also expressed concern over reports that authorities had cancelled hundreds of train services, suspended bus operations, restricted internet access and barricaded protest sites to prevent the demonstration.

“These actions raise serious concerns about the state of democratic freedoms and the right to peaceful assembly,” he said.

He called on the Indian government to immediately release all those detained and uphold young people’s fundamental right to assemble and protest peacefully.

Asif also urged young people around the world to stand in solidarity with India’s youth as they campaign for transparency and accountability.

The protest was organised by the youth-led CJP movement, which is demanding the resignation of India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of voter-list manipulation.

According to Reuters, police detained Dipke on Saturday. Rathee and CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were also reportedly detained ahead of the demonstration.