Court orders release of movement leaders
An Indian court ordered the release of three leaders of the viral youth-led “cockroach” movement on Sunday, according to their lawyer, following their detention a day earlier ahead of planned demonstrations in New Delhi.
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), along with two other CJP leaders, was detained upon arriving in the capital on a flight from Mumbai. Ratna Singh, the head lawyer for the CJP, announced on social media that an executive magistrate’s court had ordered their release on the condition that they make no breach of peace for one year. Following their release, Dipke left the court premises in a vehicle.
Protests over voter-roll revisions
The detentions took place amid a sweeping security operation across New Delhi to prevent protesters from gathering at the Jantar Mantar protest site. The demonstrations were organized to demand the resignation of the head of the Election Commission of India (ECI) over a nationwide voter-roll revision.
Media reports indicated that the revision removed more than 133 million names from electoral lists. Election authorities stated the exercise aimed to eliminate duplicate, deceased, and fraudulent entries. However, critics argued the process disproportionately affected minorities, particularly Muslims, which they contend could benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The ECI has rejected allegations of wrongdoing.
Reactions and ongoing demonstrations
The detentions drew sharp criticism from opposition figures, who accused Prime Minister Modi’s government of stifling dissent. Additionally, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva called for the immediate and unconditional release of all individuals arbitrarily detained in New Delhi.
Despite the crackdown, the CJP and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi stated they intended to continue with further protests. Gandhi announced that his Congress party and youth groups would take to the streets in large numbers.
