India ‘Cockroach’ movement founder released after latest protest detention

India's Cockroach Janata Party founder, Abhijeet Dipke, has been released from detention following his arrest during a police crackdown on protests against the election authority. Dipke, 31, was detained in New Delhi on October 16 as he headed to join a rally called by the CJP protest movement in the capital’s central Connaught Place district.

He was released this afternoon, waving to the media and giving a thumbs up as he was driven away, according to an AFP photographer. The opposition parties and CJP activists have defied the security crackdown, rallying to demand the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner after accusing the poll body of manipulating voter rolls to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party.

The election commission has denied any wrongdoing. Two other senior CJP leaders, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, were arrested on October 14 after entering Jantar Mantar, a protest site deemed off-limits for demonstrations, and remain in custody. The allegations of voter fraud have been refuted by rights groups and critics, who claim that Modi’s government has eroded democratic freedoms during his tenure, citing pressure on journalists, civil society groups, and political opponents.

Brief written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.