Founder Abhijeet Dipke and two senior colleagues were held on board a plane in Delhi, and hundreds of protesters were detained before a rally demanding the chief election commissioner’s resignation.
Cockroach Janta Party leaders detained in New Delhi on Saturday included founder Abhijeet Dipke, as police locked down parts of the capital to stop a youth protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The party said Dipke and senior leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were held on their flight from Mumbai as it arrived in Delhi, according to Eastern Eye. Police say they acted to keep order in the city.
Cockroach Janta Party Leaders Detained on Arrival
CNN reported that police boarded the aircraft soon after it landed, and video released by the party showed officers on the plane. CNN quoted Dipke as saying “This is dictatorship” as officers entered the aircraft. Eastern Eye reported that Dipke told officers he had come to be arrested, and that one officer replied, “No, this is not an arrest.”
The party called the move a planned interception meant to weaken its leadership before the demonstration began. According to The Daily Star, the party said organization head Ajinkya Shinde would lead the Jantar Mantar protest while the three leaders remain in detention.
Hundreds of Protesters Held Across Delhi
The Daily Star reported that more than 500 protesters were detained, including Dipke and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee. ETV Bharat reported that Delhi Police confirmed at least 500 detentions and that Rathee was picked up from his home in Gurugram, as the party claimed. Eastern Eye, citing local media earlier in the day, put the figure at more than 200. It also reported that the digital outlets Scroll and Newslaundry said their journalists were held while covering the protest. Police did not immediately comment on that.
Capital Under Security Lockdown
Eastern Eye reported that tens of thousands of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed since Friday. Authorities shut 45 metro stations and several markets, cancelled some trains into Delhi and suspended mobile internet around the protest site at Jantar Mantar. Al Jazeera described the capital as in a virtual lockdown, with travel and telecommunications links suspended.
Delhi Police said it had not granted permission for the protest and that the measures were needed to maintain law and order. In a statement carried by the Bangkok Post, which cited AFP, the force said “People should be able to raise their concerns peacefully.”
Why Are Protesters Demanding Gyanesh Kumar Resign?
The protesters are targeting a nationwide revision of voter lists that began in 2025. To better understand the reason behind the widespread protest, read Nationwide Protest in India Grows as Opposition Demands Election Chief Resign. Eastern Eye reported that Election Commission of India data shows about 130 million names deleted, including 63 million people who had moved, 30 million who could not be traced and 28 million who had died. The commission says the figures cover entries flagged at the draft stage, and that wrongly removed voters can re-register. It says the exercise removes duplicate and ineligible voters.
ABC News reported that Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders accuse the commission of running the revision in a way that benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party. The commission and the government deny this. Eastern Eye added that the Indian Express reported last month that key decisions were likely taken without the approval of two of the three election commissioners. The commission says all decisions were unanimous and legally valid. Kumar has not commented.
Reaction From Rights Groups and Opposition
Amnesty International criticized the sweeping restrictions and said peaceful protesters must be able to demand accountability without intimidation or arbitrary detention. Opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal said the detentions showed an unprecedented level of fear.
Background to the Movement
ABC News described the Cockroach Janta Party as a youth movement that began as satire. Eastern Eye reported that a similar mobilization in July led to the education minister’s resignation over an exam paper leak. It also noted the protests come ahead of state elections beginning in early 2027. ABC News reported earlier this month that Delhi Police were investigating sexual harassment allegations made by three female journalists against officers during earlier protests.