In brief
In a dramatic turn, key figures of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) were detained early Tuesday after illegally entering Delhi’s historic Jantar Mantar protest site. The move comes amid growing unrest over a contested voter roll revision that the party and other opposition groups say benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s camp. Police had already tightened security across Delhi, closing metro stations and deploying thousands of officers after the federal home ministry declared Jantar Mantar no longer a permitted protest venue. Despite detentions, CJP leaders vowed to continue their campaign for the resignation of Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and the protests have now spilled over into marches to the Supreme Court by larger parties such as the Congress. The episode underscores a broader nationalist backlash against electoral reforms that critics allege could disenfranchise millions of voters.
In a tense episode at Delhi’s historic Jantar Mantar, leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party were detained early on Tuesday after secretly breaching the heavily‑guarded protest site.
Party founder Abhijeet Dipke posted a video on X showing Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das being dragged by police amid the chaos.
Footage shows the two men, along with other demonstrators, chanting slogans while holding the Indian flag as they climbed over barricades.
Countrywide protests have escalated against the Election Commission’s controversial revision of voter rolls, which critics claim is engineered to benefit the ruling BJP.
The Jantar Mantar incident follows the federal home ministry’s announcement that the venue would no longer be recognized as a protest site, and that others must seek permission at three alternative locations.
In response, the CJP threatened further demonstrations if no response was received from Delhi Police, and vowed to keep marching until Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is forced to resign.
The day after the arrests, the government bolstered security across the capital: several metro stations were shut, train services disrupted, and thousands of police and paramilitary units positioned along key routes.
Opposition parties also conducted a march from Connaught Place to the Supreme Court, pressing the court to review the voter roll changes and to uphold democratic principles.
The CJP, which began as a satirical online movement after a Supreme Court remark likening unemployed youth to cockroaches, has evolved into a broader pressure group galvanizing young politicians and protestors.
Images from the protest, including police dragging demonstrators and commuters crossing checkpoints, were widely circulated on social media, further inflaming public sentiment.
