Police detained Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the youth led Cockroach Janta Party, on Friday as he headed to a planned demonstration in New Delhi. Authorities have restricted protests calling for chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign.
Despite the limits on public demonstrations, Dipke had called on supporters to gather in central Delhi and raise the Indian national flag. Police stopped and detained him on his way to the protest after he declined to call off the gathering.
Videos shared on social media showed Dipke holding the national flag and disputing his detention with police. He said he had not violated any law when officers took him into custody.
The Cockroach Janta Party later condemned the detention, accusing authorities of trying to curb young people’s right to protest. Police said restrictions applied in the Connaught Place area where the gathering was due to take place.
Protests Continue as Thousands of Police Are Deployed
Dipke’s detention did not prevent people from gathering. About 2,000 demonstrators assembled near Connaught Place, raised Indian flags and demanded Kumar’s resignation.
Smaller rallies were also held in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Patna. In Delhi, authorities have prohibited public gatherings at specified sites, deployed thousands of police officers and detained thousands of demonstrators, alongside imposing restrictions on assemblies. These measures came after several days of protests involving youth groups, student organisations and opposition parties.
The latest demonstration followed court orders sending two other Cockroach Janta Party leaders, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, to five days of judicial custody. They were accused of crossing police barricades to reach Jantar Mantar, a historic protest venue where authorities had imposed restrictions.
Electoral Roll Changes Fuel Demonstrations
The demonstrations are part of a campaign opposing changes to India’s electoral rolls carried out by the Election Commission.
Protesters and opposition parties claim the revisions have removed millions of eligible voters from the lists and may advantage Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Kumar has become a focus of the campaign, with protesters calling for his resignation. Opposition parties and demonstrators are also seeking greater openness in the voter-registration process.
Reports say more than 130 million names were removed from voter lists during the exercise. The Election Commission and the Bharatiya Janata Party reject claims of political bias, saying the changes were intended to bring voter records up to date. They say eligible voters whose names were mistakenly removed may register again.
Cockroach Janta Party Broadens Its Campaign
The Cockroach Janta Party started as an online satirical movement and later developed into a youth led protest campaign. It gained national attention through demonstrations over alleged examination paper leaks, which resulted in India’s education minister resigning in July. The group has since joined student organisations and opposition parties in protests concerning electoral transparency and other matters.
The unrest reflects young people’s concerns in India about jobs, education and government accountability. Protesters say the dispute over electoral roll revisions has added to those concerns. The Bharatiya Janata Party has accused the movement and opposition groups of seeking to provoke disorder.
Organisers say the demonstrations are intended to defend electoral rights and the freedom to gather peacefully.
More Activists Detained as Restrictions Expand
Student leader Neha Bora, who has become involved in the protests, was also detained on Friday during a march through central Delhi.
Authorities have sought to prevent demonstrators from entering restricted areas and to disperse those gathered in parts of Connaught Place.
Officials have defended the limits on gatherings. However, the arrests have drawn stronger criticism from activists and opposition figures, who argue that the measures curtail the right to peaceful political protest.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has accused the movement and opposition groups of attempting to incite disorder. Protest organisers maintain that their actions defend electoral rights and the right to assemble peacefully.
Debate Grows Over Protest Rights and Electoral Transparency
The latest detentions have renewed discussion about how public order requirements should be balanced with the right to protest. Protesters continue to demand the chief election commissioner’s resignation and a transparent review of electoral roll changes. Authorities, meanwhile, have focused on enforcing restrictions on gatherings in sensitive parts of the capital.
The dispute is expected to persist as the Cockroach Janta Party and other groups organise demonstrations in cities across India. The controversy has also raised questions about how electoral changes are communicated, reviewed and challenged.
Dipke’s detention is a further episode in the standoff between the protest movement and authorities. Allegations concerning the electoral rolls remain contested: the Election Commission and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party deny that the process unfairly benefited the government.