Indian court orders release of Cockroach movement leaders

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 22:45 · Archive

Two leaders of India's Cockroach Janta Party have been released from jail after a week's detention for trespassing at a banned protest site.

An Indian court has ordered the release of two leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, after they spent a week in Delhi's Tihar jail. A special magistrate ordered their release on Wednesday despite efforts by police to keep them in custody. They were made to sign a bond pledging no further breach of peace.

The men were arrested after climbing over barricades and entering Jantar Mantar, a historic protest site in central Delhi that police had recently removed from the list of approved demonstration venues. They were initially sent to jail for five days on charges of trespass and violating the peace, with the detention then extended by a further two days.

Their arrest came as part of a broader crackdown on the CJP, a youth-led movement that began as an internet joke in May. The party has since mobilised thousands of young people to protest, first over leaked exam papers and then over alleged manipulation of India's electoral roll. A march towards parliament in July ended in clashes with police and eventually contributed to the resignation of India's education minister.

The CJP is not a registered political party but a collective that has emerged as a major force in recent protests. It has been leading near-daily demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the removal of 130 million names from voter rolls. The Election Commission said the removed names included people who had died, relocated, or could not be traced, and denied favouring any party.

After his release, Das told reporters: 'Truth alone triumphs. Long live the revolution.' The CJP's legal head, Ratna Singh, said outside court that the detention was 'an absolute mockery of the judicial system' and that the party would challenge the earlier extension order in a higher court.

The release comes as a setback for the ruling Narendra Modi government, which has implemented what The Guardian describes as an unforgiving crackdown on the recent protests. Critics accused the government of cowardice for jailing CJP leaders for holding peaceful protests.

How it is being reported

• India 'cockroach' leaders who called on election chief to quit are freed from jailSaurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were accused of breaking into an unauthorised protest venue in Delhi.BBC News · 21 Oct, 19:22
• Indian court orders release of two leaders of Cockroach movementSaurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka spent a week in jail after defying restrictions on protests in Delhi amid government crackdown An Indian court has ordered the release of two leaders of India’s Cockroach movement, who were jailed last week amid a mounting state crackdown on youth-led protests. The two leaders of the Cockroach Janta party (CJP) movement, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, had spent a week in Delhi’s Tihar jail after being arrested by Delhi police last week. Continue reading...The Guardian · 21 Oct, 16:26
• Indian court extends detention of ‘Cockroach’ leadersThe extension of the custody of the CJP activists comes amid a crackdown on near daily protests against the government.Al Jazeera · 19 Oct, 20:09

In this story: Saurav Das · Ashutosh Ranka · Cockroach Janta Party · Narendra Modi · Gyanesh Kumar · Delhi · India

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