NEW DELHI — Journalists and press-freedom groups have accused Indian police of using excessive and targeted force against reporters covering voter-roll protests, as thousands of opposition supporters marched to the Supreme Court on Monday.

Reuters reported that nearly three dozen journalists from outlets including the Indian Express, Scroll and Newslaundry were detained for periods ranging from less than an hour to several hours before being released. Reporters told the news agency that some journalists were dragged or roughly handled and that officers seized phones. A Reuters journalist was also briefly detained.

The accounts are allegations about police conduct. Delhi Police did not answer Reuters questions about the number of journalists detained or the reasons for their detention. In a video posted to X, police said some protesters had presented themselves as journalists and interfered with officers' work. India's government did not immediately respond to Reuters.

Press groups seek investigation

The Press Club of India and three other media associations said journalists were detained while recording police actions and called for an apology and an investigation of senior officers. Reporters Without Borders said detention, surveillance, communications restrictions and removals of journalistic content were constraining coverage.

The Indian Express separately reported that three members of its Hindi team showed press cards before being placed on a police bus Sunday. They said they were released about 45 minutes later, roughly 12 kilometres from where officers detained them.

India's Supreme Court had directed authorities Sunday not to impede journalists and lawyers performing their professional duties. Reuters said some of the reported detentions occurred after that order.

Thousands march to Supreme Court

Several opposition lawmakers and thousands of supporters marched through New Delhi on Monday and submitted a petition alleging irregularities in the national voter-list revision, according to The Associated Press. Authorities had closed six central metro stations and warned of traffic restrictions before the march.

Police also announced that Jantar Mantar, a longstanding protest site, would no longer be a designated rally venue and identified three replacement locations, AP reported.

Dispute over 130 million deleted names

Opposition parties and protesters allege that the voter-roll revision disproportionately removed minority voters and benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governing Bharatiya Janata Party. The Election Commission and BJP deny manipulation.

Election Commission data cited by Reuters says about 130 million names were removed during the verification exercise, including 28 million deceased people, 63 million who had relocated and 30 million who could not be traced. Those figures do not establish that eligible voters were deliberately excluded, and the commission says wrongly removed voters can re-enrol.

What changed: This article was updated October 12 with the journalists' detention accounts, the police response, calls by media groups for an investigation, the completed Supreme Court march and the relocation of designated protest sites.

Sources: Reuters report on journalists, October 12; The Associated Press, October 12; The Indian Express, October 12; Reuters report on the march and restrictions, October 12; Akashvani News, October 11.

Lead image: flag of India from Wikimedia Commons; not a photograph of the protests.