India detains Cockroach Janata Party founder ahead of Delhi protest

NEW DELHI: Indian police detained Abhijit Deepke, founder of the youth-led Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), ahead of a planned protest against the Election Commission in New Delhi, as authorities deployed thousands of police and paramilitary personnel across the capital, according to reports in Indian media.

The party said Deepke had arrived in New Delhi from Mumbai when police officers approached him at the airport and asked him to cancel a planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar.

The detention came amid heightened tensions over demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar following controversial revisions to India’s electoral rolls.

Authorities reportedly refused permission for the planned protest, while security measures were tightened across the capital. Indian media reported that 57 metro stations had been closed, several long-distance trains cancelled and mobile internet suspended within a four-kilometre radius of the protest area.

India’s Supreme Court reportedly directed that some trains continue operating amid the disruptions.

The Cockroach Janata Party also claimed that at least 10,000 people had been detained nationwide ahead of the planned demonstrations. The figure could not be independently verified from the information available in the reports.

Dispute over more than 130 million voter names

The protests centre on electoral roll revisions that critics say resulted in more than 130 million names being removed from voter lists.

Demonstrators are demanding Kumar’s resignation, arguing that the scale of the deletions raises serious questions about the transparency and fairness of the process.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission have rejected the allegations.

The commission has maintained that the revisions were intended to remove duplicate registrations and the names of ineligible voters. Critics, however, argue that the exercise could disproportionately affect minority and disadvantaged communities.

The controversy intensified following an Indian Express report claiming that two deputy election commissioners had raised concerns about the revision process at least 14 times over the preceding 10 months.

Youth movement gains momentum

The Cockroach Janata Party movement reportedly began in May after Chief Justice Surya Kant referred to unemployed young people as “cockroaches,” a remark that helped trigger political mobilisation among sections of the youth.

The movement gained further attention after protests in July over examination paper leaks, which were followed by the resignation of India’s education minister, according to the reports.

The latest demonstrations come ahead of several state elections scheduled for early 2027, including in politically significant Uttar Pradesh.

The unfolding dispute has brought electoral transparency, voter registration and the right to peaceful protest into sharper focus in India.

With the authorities tightening security and organisers pressing ahead with their demands, the confrontation could become a significant test of the government’s handling of political dissent ahead of the upcoming elections.