India's Cockroach movement defies protest ban in New Delhi

Summarised from 2 outlets · 3 reports · Updated 13 Oct, 12:20 · Archive

Leaders of India's Cockroach Janta Party were detained after entering a banned protest site in New Delhi.

Police in New Delhi detained leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) after they entered Jantar Mantar on Tuesday, a protest site that authorities had denotified the previous day. The CJP leaders, including Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya Shinde, were among about 20 volunteers who jumped barricades to enter the site. All were released after 24 hours in detention.

The protests are demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over revisions to voter lists, which critics say favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP. The CJP and opposition parties have held near-daily protests this month, with thousands joining a march on Monday. Police had detained protesters over the weekend, including CJP leaders, before the latest action.

Human Rights Watch called on the government to stop arbitrary arrests and allow peaceful protest. Following their release, CJP leaders said the Modi government was 'waging war' on its citizens. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke stated on social media: 'You cannot denotify the resistance.' The Delhi Police had announced three new venues for demonstrations after denotifying Jantar Mantar, but the movement defied the ban.

How it is being reported

• India’s youth-led Cockroach movement defies protest banIndia’s youth-led Cockroach movement is intensifying protests against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Three leaders were detained after defying a ban at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar protest site. Demonstrators are challenging a voter-list revision they claim favours Modi’s party, while the protests disrupt businesses across the capital.France 24 · 13 Oct, 12:00
• Police detain leaders of India’s ‘cockroach’ movement at New Delhi protestCockroach Janta Party volunteers detained after entering a popular protest site authorities had declared off-limits.Al Jazeera · 13 Oct, 09:36
• Cockroach Janta Party accuses Modi of ‘waging war’ on IndiansIndia’s Cockroach Janta Party leaders say the Modi government is ‘waging war’ on its own citizens.Al Jazeera · 11 Oct, 14:34

In this story: Cockroach Janta Party · Narendra Modi · Gyanesh Kumar · Ashutosh Ranka · Saurav Das · Ajinkya Shinde · New Delhi · Jantar Mantar

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem