India's 'cockroach' movement chief detained ahead of major protest

Indian police arrested the leader of the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) online movement, Abhijeet Dipke, and two other party officials before they could disembark from a flight in the capital, New Delhi. The demonstration was scheduled to take place in New Delhi, where opposition groups are demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, over alleged "special intensive revision" (SIR) voter-roll irregularities.

The protests were fueled by weeks of opposition mobilization following a newspaper investigation last month alleging misconduct by the Election Commission of India (ECI) during a nationwide voter-roll revision. The ECI defended the revision, stating it aimed to remove duplicate and ineligible voters, while critics claim it disproportionately affects marginalised and minority communities.

Tens of thousands of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in New Delhi, with yellow metal barricades blocking roads leading to the designated protest site, Jantar Mantar. Police have not authorized rallies at Jantar Mantar this weekend.

The CJP, which began as a satirical political movement in May, accuses authorities of intimidating its supporters. They claim at least 10,000 people, including protesters traveling to Delhi by train, have been detained across the country. The Supreme Court on Friday allowed some trains to run despite the blanket closure of metro stations. The CJP's leader, Abhijeet Dipke, warned that the government's actions were more akin to dictatorship than allowing peaceful protests.