In brief
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders were taken into custody after breaching barricades at Jantar Mantar. They had shouted slogans calling for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over a disputed voter roll revision. The home ministry had just de‑notified Jantar Mantar as a protest venue, guiding demonstrators to three official sites. As security forces clamp down across Delhi, the group’s detentions feed growing anger over electoral reforms.
The leaders of India’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a group that turned a satirical jab into a political movement, were taken into custody early on Tuesday after they slipped past police barricades at the historic Jantar Mantar square in New Delhi.
Founder Abhijeet Dipke posted a video on X showing Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das being hauled by officers, their hands clenched around the tricolour as they shouted slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a controversial revision of the voter list.
The protest comes a day after the home ministry announced that Jantar Mantar would no longer be recognised as a legal protest venue, directing demonstrators to three alternative sites that require prior approval.
Security forces had already tightened control across the capital: several metro stations were shut, trains halted, thousands of police and paramilitary units were deployed, and multiple detentions of journalists and civilians were reported.
CJP accused the election commission of bias, arguing the voter roll revision favours the ruling party, a charge rejected by the commission and the government. The group’s supporters say the faceless detention of their leaders marks a growing crackdown on dissent in a city already stewing over contested elections.
As the movement pushes further, the opposition parties continue to rally in Delhi, marching to the Supreme Court and filing petitions challenging the ballot roll changes that recently purged many names from the registers.
