NEW DELHI: Indian police detained Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), on Saturday ahead of a planned protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the movement said.
The protest was called to challenge a revision of voter lists that opposition parties and activists allege could benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
According to the movement, CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were also detained after their flight landed in Delhi. Indian television channels reported that police met Dipke at the airport following his arrival from Mumbai and asked him to call off the demonstration because authorities had not authorised it.
Delhi placed under heightened security
Authorities deployed thousands of security personnel across the capital to prevent the rally from proceeding. Police detained scores of demonstrators, while restrictions affected public transport and communications in several areas.
Television footage showed officers chasing groups of young protesters in central New Delhi before taking them away in police vehicles.
A police source told Reuters that around 200 protesters had been detained in the area. YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, who was described as a supporter of the demonstration, was also detained outside Delhi, according to a police spokesperson.
Reuters witnesses reported that police checked buses and other vehicles at entry points to the city, while barricades and concrete blocks restricted traffic on key routes. Some metro stations and markets were shut, and mobile internet services were suspended.
The authorities said the temporary restrictions were intended to regulate movement, prevent overcrowding, maintain public order and protect demonstrators and the wider public.
Youth movement challenges Modi government
The CJP described the planned demonstration as an effort to “Save Democracy” and said it would proceed despite the detentions and police restrictions.
Before travelling to Delhi, Dipke questioned why authorities had imposed extensive restrictions on transport, roads and internet services ahead of the protest.
The movement had planned to gather at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site in the capital, at 10am.
Delhi Police said on Friday that permission had not been granted for the demonstration and warned that anyone violating the restrictions would face legal action.
CJP leaders rejected the decision, arguing that peaceful protest was a fundamental right.
India’s ‘Cockroach’ Protest Movement Keeps Pressure on Modi Government
Dispute over voter-list revisions
The demonstrations follow a report by The Indian Express stating that officials working under Kumar had questioned or disagreed with aspects of the voter-list revision process. The report triggered renewed criticism from opposition parties over the removal of names from electoral rolls.
Opposition groups allege that the revisions could undermine electoral fairness and benefit the BJP. They have also claimed that voter deletions affected the results of some recent state elections.
The Election Commission and the BJP have denied allegations of deliberate manipulation. Kumar has not publicly commented on the reported internal disagreements, according to the supplied report.
Election Commission data cited in the report indicates that approximately 130 million voter entries were flagged for deletion during the draft verification exercise. These included around 63 million entries associated with people who had relocated, 30 million involving individuals who could not be traced and 28 million linked to deceased people.
The commission has said the exercise remains incomplete and that voters whose names were wrongly removed can apply to be enrolled again.
Political tensions ahead of state elections
The dispute comes amid continuing protests by opposition groups and months before a series of important state elections scheduled to begin in early 2027, including the contest in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state.
The latest demonstration represents another challenge for the Modi government as opposition parties continue to question the electoral-roll revision process.
The competing claims have placed the Election Commission’s procedures under renewed scrutiny, while the authorities’ response to the planned rally has added to tensions over political protest and public order in the capital.
