India's Cockroach movement protests over election commission

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 03:13 · Archive

India's Cockroach Janata Party says authorities have detained thousands of its members ahead of planned anti-government demonstrations.

India's Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) says authorities have detained thousands of its members, including national spokesman Deepak Baliyan, ahead of major anti-government protests planned for Saturday. A CJP spokesperson said at least 10,000 people from the movement, student organisations and political parties had been detained across the country. Videos posted on social media showed activists being taken away in vans. The movement said students from Pune heading to the protests were taken away on a bus to an unknown location.

The protests are demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a controversial revision of voter lists. Opposition parties and student groups accuse the election commission of benefiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Thousands are expected to march to Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site in New Delhi, on Saturday.

The CJP emerged in May after remarks by Chief Justice Surya Kant in which he called unemployed youth "cockroaches", sparking nationwide outrage. It has since become a significant political force among young Indians. The nationwide voter list review has removed more than 130 million names so far, with millions of people appealing against the deletions.

How it is being reported

• India’s ‘Cockroach’ party accuses government of mass detention of members ahead of weekend protestThousands expected to march in Delhi on Saturday, as anger mounts over controversial changes to voter lists in world’s largest democracy India’s Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which began as a satirical movement but is now emerging as a political force among gen Z’s, says authorities have begun detaining its members en masse days before a major anti-government protest in Delhi. Opposition parties, their student units, and the “Cockroach” youth movement have been holding almost daily demonstrations seeking the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a controversial…The Guardian · 9 Oct, 02:55
• India’s Cockroach movement says members detained as protests continueIndia's opposition and student-led CJP movement demand election chief's resignation, plan mass demonstration Saturday.Al Jazeera · 8 Oct, 20:49

In this story: Cockroach Janata Party · Gyanesh Kumar · Narendra Modi · Bharatiya Janata Party · New Delhi · Jantar Mantar · Deepak Baliyan · Pune

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