‘Cockroach’ group leaders among hundreds detained in Delhi protest

Hundreds of protesters were arrested in Delhi during a demonstration by the Gen-Z-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over electoral reforms. The group's founder, Abhijeet Dipke, who initiated the movement in May following India's Chief Justice likening some jobless young people to "cockroaches", was detained along with other leaders shortly after arriving in Delhi.

Thousands of security personnel were deployed and roads were barricaded ahead of the demonstration, although the CJP insisted it would proceed. The Delhi Police has not commented on the detentions but had previously denied permission for the protest to take place at Jantar Mantar, a prominent landmark in the Indian capital. The CJP, not a registered political party in India, is advocating for electoral reforms just prior to significant state elections and has called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of manipulating voters' lists.

Kumar's leadership has been involved in updating electoral rolls nationwide, a routine exercise aimed at eliminating deceased, duplicate, or ineligible voters. However, this process has been met with controversy, with numerous people alleging wrongful removal. Both the CJP and opposition parties accuse Kumar of favoring Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in how the electoral rolls are being updated, a claim that the Election Commission and BJP deny.

Prior to arriving in Delhi, Dipke stated, "If you think you can stop us by threatening us with jail or trying to intimidate us with the fear of imprisonment, you are mistaken." Two other leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were also taken into custody on their flight from Mumbai on Saturday. The group claims the three men have been taken to an undisclosed location.

Ajinkya Shinde, the CJP's new designated leader while the others are detained, released a video urging protesters that "if Delhi Police tries to stop you, wherever they stop you will become your Jantar Mantar". Activist Neha Bora, who was also detained by Delhi Police, encouraged demonstrators to "hold the line". Despite the heavy security presence and roadblocks, the anticipated large number of protesters were unable to approach Jantar Mantar.

Messages were heard across the city urging cooperation with the police. One protester, Sabika Muzaffar, shared with the BBC that she and her mother were learning their lawyer's number en route to the protest site instead of reciting traditional chants. She expressed her protest as a defense of her country and its democracy. Shortly after speaking to the BBC, Muzaffar was taken away by police.

Several trains to and from major Delhi stations were canceled, and dozens of metro stations were closed from Friday night. Buses filled with detained protesters were observed departing from the protest site.