Hundreds of Indian students gathered at Parliament Square in the British capital on Saturday to protest against India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and seek the dismissal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a disputed alteration of electoral lists.

The event, organized by the Indian Overseas Congress Youth branch, with backing from UK-based Indian students’ groups and other diaspora organizations, included appeals to end “vote theft” and defend India’s democratic institutions.

The rally was addressed by Dhruv Rathee, an activist who was the keynote speaker during the “Stop Vote Chori” (Stop Vote Theft) protest.

He demanded the replacement of the chief election commissioner through a mechanism negotiated by the administration and the opposition leader.

“It is important that the message against ‘vote chori’ is spread in our country,” Rathee stated in Hindi. “These protests will continue until the Chief Election Commissioner is removed and a person accepted by the government and Leader of the Opposition is appointed.”

Hundreds of Indian students gathered at the Parliament Square in the British capital on Saturday to protest against India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and demand the sacking of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a disputed alteration of electoral lists.

The event, organized by the Indian Overseas Congress Youth branch, with backing from UK-based Indian students’ groups and other diaspora organizations, included appeals to end “vote theft” and defend India’s democratic institutions.

The rally was addressed by Dhruv Rathee, an activist who was the keynote speaker during the “Stop Vote Chori” (Stop Vote Theft) protest.

He demanded the replacement of the chief election commissioner through a mechanism negotiated by the administration and the opposition leader.

“It is important that the message against ‘vote chori’ is spread in our country,” Rathee stated in Hindi. “These protests will end when the Chief Election Commissioner is replaced by a person acceptable to both the government and the Leader of the Opposition.

Late on Saturday, Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty stated there were “fatalities and injuries” following an incident at a military base in western Canada.

“I am saddened to say that there have been fatalities and injuries as a consequence of an incident on the base,” McGuinty added, named as Wainwright in Alberta.

Prime Minister Mark Carney had previously posted to X on Saturday that “a serious incident creating a major fire” had occurred at the base.

Neither gave specifics about how many injuries there were or what happened at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, some 200 kilometers southeast of Edmonton.

“We’ll have more to say in the hours and days to come,” added McGuinty.

CFB Wainwright is among the busiest army bases in Canada.

Pakistan has prolonged its ban on Indian flights using its airspace till November 27, 2026, according to a fresh notification issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA).

The extension means Indian planes would stay banned from Pakistani airspace for another month beyond the earlier deadline. The limitation will be in place until 5am Pakistan Standard Time on November 27, according to the latest Notice to Airmen (NOTAM).

The PAA issued the notice on Saturday advising aviation operators of the extension of airspace closure for Indian aircraft.

The updated NOTAM will mention the date and period till which the restrictions will be applicable, the authority’s representative said. During the period in question, no Indian flights will be allowed to utilize Pakistani airspace.

The latest notification legally extends the existing restrictions and gives airlines and aviation operators a revised timeline for compliance.

The PAA release did not disclose any further information on the grounds for the latest extension, or whether the limits could be revised before the new deadline.

The ban is on Indian flights wishing to enter Pakistani airspace and impacted operators would need to plan their routes with the limitations in mind. The closure shall stay in effect until the latest NOTAM expiration date or until notice of a change.