Akhilesh Yadav compares government crackdown to Nazi-era tactics

Drawing a sharp parallel to the methods of Adolf Hitler, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the Centre of using police force to crush dissent and mistreat women. His remarks follow a day of mass detentions in Delhi, where security forces barricaded the capital to suppress protests against the Election Commission.

Editorial·October 11, 2026·reads: 234

Yadav alleged that security personnel, specifically citing individuals from Ghaziabad, were mimicking the brutal tactics of Hitler’s troopers to intimidate political workers and students. The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister demanded the immediate release of those detained during the Cockroach Janata Party protest at Jantar Mantar, which saw roughly 1,000 people held by police. The crackdown included the closure of 45 Metro stations and the interception of activists Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, and Saurav Das.

Beyond the street-level confrontation, Yadav leveled severe accusations against the Election Commission, labeling it an instrument of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. He challenged the commission to explain the mass deletion of voters in Uttar Pradesh via fraudulent Form 7 filings. Characterizing the poll body as having lost its moral authority, the SP leader called for the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar. He warned that the current administrative approach would trigger a significant public backlash during the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.