Top Indian ‘cockroach’ leaders sent to jail after protest

Two leaders from India's youth-oriented Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) were detained for five days on Wednesday as authorities intensified measures to suppress anti-election commission protests. The CJP activists and opposition parties have defied a security crackdown to demand the resignation of India's chief election commissioner, alleging the poll body manipulated voter rolls to favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party.

The commission, which oversees voting in the world's most populous nation, has denied any wrongdoing. Delhi Police stated that CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka, 30, and Saurav Das, 27, were apprehended for their "persistent efforts to disrupt public peace and breach the law". After their five-day remand period ends, they may see their detention extended, receive bail, or be released.

On Tuesday, the duo breached security barriers to display the national flag at Jantar Mantar, a historic protest location barred to the public by police. "Their alleged efforts to incite others via social media to participate in similar unlawful actions were also considered," the police added. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, representing the Congress party, supported the detained leaders, accusing their incarceration as cowardice.

The Congress and CJP have organized protests against the voter roll revision. Gandhi emphasized that "all protests are one". CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke commended the men, stating they "acknowledged they could be imprisoned" but proceeded to wave the national flag, showing the country that standing up against a bully like Modi requires unwavering resolve.

Das, a former journalist, and Ranka, an engineer, studied at prestigious institutions like the Indian Institute of Technology and the London School of Economics. Human Rights Watch called on the Indian government to respect the right of citizens to protest peacefully, criticizing the Modi administration for targeting young protesters and urging them to engage with the protesters instead.

One protester alleged she was beaten by police at a detention center, though AFP couldn't independently verify her account. Journalists protested the detention of reporters during demonstrations, with the Press Club of India denouncing any assault on journalists. The electoral roll revision, initiated last year, has resulted in over 133 million names being removed from voter rolls, with critics suggesting the campaign disproportionately affected minorities, especially Muslims.

The government claims the change aimed to eliminate duplicate, deceased, and fraudulent entries, but Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has accused large numbers of undocumented Muslim migrants from neighboring Bangladesh of fraudulently entering India's electoral rolls. Home Minister Amit Shah, a close ally of Modi, dismissed the protests as localized and blamed Gandhi's party for obstructing the "deception" aimed at inflating the electorate.