Indian police fire tear gas at CEC resignation protesters

MUMBAI, Sept 25: Indian police used tear gas and water cannons on Friday to disperse opposition Congress party members during nationwide protests demanding the resignation of the head of the election commission, whom they accuse of manipulating voter rolls.

The "cockroach" youth movement, which counts millions of supporters and forced the education minister out in July, said it would launch protests across India on October 2 if Chief Election Commissioner(CEC)Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by Saturday.

The protests, which are backed by other opposition groups, mark a new political challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Kumar, 62, a former civil servant, was appointed to head the independent Election Commission of India by Modi's government.

"Theft of votes is happening across the country," local Congress party leader Amarinder Singh Raja said in Chandigarh in the northwest, one of at least two places where police fired water cannon after protesters climbed buses and barricades.

Congress and other opposition parties have accused the eleciton commission of colluding with Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to manipulate voter lists and win state elections in recent years, charges both the commission and the BJP have denied. Kumar himself has not commented.�" REUTERS