In brief
Abhijeet Dipke, the 27‑year‑old founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, was taken into custody by Delhi police on Friday night ahead of a planned march in Connaught Place demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The move follows a series of arrests over the past week when Dipke and two other leaders were detained for breaching restrictions at Jantar Mantar. While the movement has evolved from an online campaign into a formidable youth protest force, it now faces the challenge of sustaining momentum with its key leaders in custody. The incident has intensified political tensions, with opposition parties calling for open protest sites and the Election Commission defending its integrity.
Abhijeet Dipke, the 27‑year‑old founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, was taken into custody by Delhi police on Friday night as the group prepared to march in Connaught Place to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Police had already fenced off Central Park, the intended rally site, and deployed thousands of officers and paramilitary personnel to block the streets. The operation followed a series of arrests over the past week, when Dipke, along with two other leaders—Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka—were detained for breaching restrictions at Jantar Mantar.
In an Instagram video aired the day before, Dipke challenged the officers who warned him against staging the march, asking whether waving the Indian flag was illegal. Hours later, he was surrounded at his home, forced into a police vehicle, and taken to an undisclosed location, sparking widespread criticism from the movement’s supporters.
The Cockroach Janta Party, which grew from an online hashtag in May after a chief justice’s remark likening unemployed youth to cockroaches, has now turned its attention to alleged irregularities in the country’s voter rolls under the “Special Intensive Revision” (SIR) programme. “The law is designed to remove ineligible voters, but it could damningly affect elections in a way that favours the ruling BJP,” critics argue.
Opposition leaders have joined the protests, with Rahul Gandhi and other MPs facing detainment while marching to the Election Commission headquarters last week. Home minister Amit Shah has defended the commission’s independence, labeling the complaints as misinformation.
With its three principal leaders in custody, the CJP has vowed to continue its campaign. “They may take three people, but we have dozens of supporters ready to raise the tricolor in their own towns,” said spokesperson Mehr Pasricha.
The incident has raised questions about civil liberties amid a climate of heightened security around Delhi’s political heartland. Citizens and media are urged to report any further detentions or excessive use of force.
