India detains ‘cockroach’ founder, student leaders

Delhi police apprehended India’s “cockroach” movement founder Abhijeet Dipke, student leaders, and supporters on Friday as thousands gathered in central Delhi, waving the national flag and demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), opposition groups, and student organizations have been staging protests nearly every day this month, calling for Kumar’s resignation over the revision of voter lists they claim favors Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Over 130 million voters were eliminated during the revision.

The Election Commission refuted allegations of favoritism, stating that wrongly deleted voters can re-enroll. The BJP accused rivals of attempting to undermine democracy by questioning legitimate electoral processes. Dipke announced that several CJP leaders, including himself, were detained and sent to jail this week for violating a ban on demonstrating at a protest site.

Student activist Neha Bora, a prominent figure in the protests, was also taken into custody while attempting to reach Connaught Place, a bustling shopping and dining district in New Delhi. Senior police officer Sachin Sharma confirmed that Dipke and Bora were subjected to preventive detention.

Earlier in the day, authorities warned Dipke against proceeding with the protest, and security measures were heightened, with hundreds of police in riot gear deployed across central Delhi. The Central Park was closed by civic officials. Despite these efforts, roughly 500 protesters managed to reach the park, organizing demonstrations in various locations around Connaught Place, waving flags, and shouting slogans.

Some were arrested and transported in a police vehicle. Saurav Kumar, a data analyst, expressed his willingness to face imprisonment if waving the tricolour in the country is considered a crime. "The government not allowing us to protest, refusing to acknowledge faults in the system, is not a good sign for a democracy," he commented.

Protests also took place in Mumbai, the financial hub, and Bengaluru, the tech center, while student organizations held demonstrations in eastern Patna, with participants waving their respective organization flags and confronting police barricades. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh claimed that the demonstrations were a ploy by the opposition Congress party to seize power, stating that they were using the youth as pawns in their own political games.