THE leaders of India’s youth-led “Cockroach” movement were released on Sunday (11), a day after they were detained to stop a major protest in Delhi against the country’s election chief.
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and two other leaders were freed by an executive magistrate’s court, the group’s head lawyer, Ratna Singh, said on social media. She said they were released on condition that they commit “no breach of peace for one year”.
Dipke and fellow leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka had been detained on board their flight from Mumbai before they could leave the aircraft on Saturday (10).
Soon after his release, Dipke attacked prime minister Narendra Modi on social media. “Modi, as PM, is an embarrassment to India,” he wrote. “Never has this country seen a bigger coward and bully.”
Activist and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, who was detained at his home, was also released.
Thousands held as Delhi locked down
Saturday’s rally at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi was meant to be the high point of weeks of mobilisation. Protesters were demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a nationwide revision of voter lists.
Authorities sealed off the protest site and mounted a sweeping security operation across the capital. Mobile internet was suspended in the central business district, and dozens of metro stations were closed.
A home ministry official told Reuters more than 2,000 people were detained in Delhi, and local media reported about 400 detentions in Mumbai. The CJP put the number of people detained in the thousands. Police have not commented.
Metro stations reopened on Sunday under heavy security. There was no sign of a major gathering at Jantar Mantar, despite the CJP urging supporters to march there.
India’s Supreme Court was due to hear a petition in a special sitting on Sunday challenging Saturday’s closure of metro and train services.
Why the voter lists matter
Election authorities say the revision was designed to remove duplicate, deceased and fraudulent entries. Election Commission data show about 130 million entries were removed.
Critics say the process has disproportionately affected minorities, particularly Muslims, potentially benefiting Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Opposition parties also allege the deletions affected the results of recent state elections won by the BJP. The Election Commission rejects any wrongdoing and says eligible voters deleted in error can re-enrol.
From satire to street power
Dipke launched the CJP in May as a satirical online movement, and it has since gained millions of social media followers. In July, its protests over exam irregularities forced the resignation of India’s education minister, a rare climbdown by the Modi government.
Saturday’s detentions drew sharp criticism and accusations that the government was stifling dissent. The UN human rights office in Geneva called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those “arbitrarily detained” in Delhi.
India’s mission in Geneva had earlier dismissed UN concerns as an “unwarranted interference” in its internal affairs.
The CJP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have vowed to keep protesting. Gandhi said his party “and the youth of the country will once again take to the streets in large numbers” on Monday (12).
“The more Modi and his government crack down, the more the anger of Gen Z and students will grow,” he said.
(Agencies)
