[🇮🇳] Cockroach Janta Party of India

[Saif]

https://www.newagebd.net/post/south-asia/316472/cockroaches-plan-oct-10-delhi-march-160-more-held

‘Cockroaches’ plan Oct 10 Delhi march, 160 more held
New Age Desk . Dhaka 04 October, 2026, 01:14

The Cockroach Janta Party on Saturday announced a march to Delhi on October 10 as protests against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar continued for a second day, with around 160 protesters detained in the capital.

The protesters were detained as Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita remained in force in New Delhi, Hindustan Times reported, quoting Press Trust of India.

Those detained included advocate Prashant Bhushan, political activist Yogendra Yadav and president of All India Students’ Association Neha Bora.

CJP convener Abhijeet Dipke and party spokesperson Das announced a ‘massive mobilisation’ at Jantar Mantar on October 10.

Dipke criticised the Delhi police for detaining protesters. ‘By crushing dissent and cracking down on peaceful protesters, Delhi police is bringing nothing but shame to the institution and the country,’ he said in a post on X.

The protests have centred on allegations of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and demands for the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal and Bhushan joined Bora in a march towards the protest site on Saturday.

Yadav also announced his participation in the second day’s protest, saying in an X post that they would meet at Jantar Mantar at 1:00pm.

On Friday, around 1,000 people were detained across Delhi as police and security forces prevented protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar for the planned demonstration.

The protest had been called by the Aam Aadmi Party, AISA, Students’ Federation of India, National Students’ Union of India, Indian Youth Congress and other student and youth organisations.

Nearly 750 people were detained from areas around Jantar Mantar, while another 400 were detained from other parts of Delhi, according to Indian media reports. Around 200 people were also placed under house arrest.

More than 5,000 security personnel were deployed in and around Jantar Mantar to prevent protesters from reaching the site.​

 

[Saif]

https://www.dhakatribune.com/world/asia/421314/indians-protest-election-chief-as-police-probe

Indians protest election chief as police probe harassment claims​

1. Voter-roll revision sparks allegations​
2. Election Commission denies wrongdoing​
3. Thousands protest in Mumbai​
4. ​

Police detain a protester during a demonstration against India’s election chief in New Delhi on October 3, 2026. Photo: AFP

Indians rallied for a third day on Sunday demanding the election commission chief's resignation, while police launched an investigation into sexual harassment allegations against officers during protests in New Delhi a day earlier.

Protests began on Friday demanding the Election Commission of India (ECI) chief Gyanesh Kumar step down, alleging wrongdoing during a large-scale voter-roll revision that has removed millions of names from the lists.

The ECI has rejected allegations of wrongdoing. Kumar himself has not commented.

Thousands marched in Mumbai on Sunday, waving Indian flags, demanding Kumar step down.

Protesters have included supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) -- which began in May as a satirical online movement, and succeeded in its campaign to oust the then education minister.

"Mumbai is out on the streets again for free and fair elections!" CJP chief Abhijeet Dipke said in a social media post on Sunday.

"Solidarity with all the protestors," he added. "All Indians need to come together. It's now or never!"

In New Delhi, a few dozen activists, including CJP supporters, gathered outside a police station on Sunday to demand action over the allegations against officers during protests in the capital on Saturday.

The harassment allegations were made after police detained scores of protesters around the government-designated protest site of Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

"Allegations of sexual harassment were made by three female journalists against police officers," Delhi police said in a statement, promising "a fair and impartial enquiry".

In a video posted on social media, a complainant said that a police officer pushed and touched her "inappropriately".

CJP activist Saurav Das, in a post on social media, said that "a delegation with the victim is inside the police station".

Dipke said that the accused officer "must be arrested immediately".

Opposition politicians have accused the ECI of acting at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

They have said they will march to the Election Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday, and hold "Save Democracy" rallies countrywide afterwards.

The CJP has called for a "massive mobilisation of young Indians" in New Delhi on October 10.​

 

[Saif]

Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool MPs detained during protest in New Delhi

Former Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was detained on Saturday as she tried to join the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest in New Delhi. The Trinamool Congress chief was detained along with several of her party MPs from South Avenue in central Delhi, where she sat on a protest at a bus stan

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool MPs detained during protest in New Delhi

Image courtesy: Social media via NDTV

Former Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was detained on Saturday as she tried to join the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest in New Delhi. The Trinamool Congress chief was detained along with several of her party MPs from South Avenue in central Delhi, where she sat on a protest at a bus stand after being stopped by police, BDTV reports.

Banerjee and five of her party MPs, including Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen, were detained and taken away in a police bus. Mamata Banerjee sat with a band-aid stuck to her mouth during the protest.

"The government is misbehaving with us," Banerjee said in a video statement from inside the police bus.

"We the INDIA alliance will continue to fight to strengthen people's voice," she added.

Several other opposition and student leaders were also detained as they tried to join the Jantar Mantar protest.

Former Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and CPM MP John Brittas were among those detained by police and taken to the detention centre at Chhatrasal Stadium.

Mamata Banerjee had arrived in Delhi on Friday to join the Opposition protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. She was part of the INDIA bloc delegation that met President Droupadi Murmu on Friday evening to demand Kumar's sacking.

During the meeting with the President, the Opposition leaders flagged the issue of their "vote chori" claims to demand the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar and repeal of all Assembly polls held in the last two years, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi saying he was "shocked" that the President did not deny the 'election theft' charge.

Sources later said that claims made by Rahul Gandhi suggesting President Droupadi Murmu accepted assertions of 'vote theft' were incorrect.

After the meeting, Gandhi said the opposition leaders would go to the Supreme Court on Monday to meet Chief Justice Surya Kant and hand over a memorandum to him too, as they wanted to avail all options available.

The INDIA alliance has also announced a major protest against the alleged Election Commission irregularities on Monday.​

 

[Saif]

Pressure mounts on India poll chief Gyanesh Kumar over voter list changes

Police detained scores of protesters and their leaders in the Indian capital on Saturday amid patrols by thousands of security forces, with travel and telecoms links suspended, in a lockdown to stop a youth protest asking the election chief to quit. The ‌protest by the "Cockroach" youth move

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Pressure mounts on India poll chief Gyanesh Kumar over voter list changes

A man on a scooter passes members of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) standing guard ahead of a protest planned by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) seeking the resignation of India's Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, near the protest site in New Delhi, India, on October 10, 2026. — Reuters photo

Police detained scores of protesters and their leaders in the Indian capital on Saturday amid patrols by thousands of security forces, with travel and telecoms links suspended, in a lockdown to stop a youth protest asking the election chief to quit.

The ‌protest by the "Cockroach" youth movement aimed to draw thousands of demonstrators against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a revision of voter lists that critics say favours Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.

"Long live the revolution," chanted some of the young protesters in central Delhi chased by police, who dragged scores of others into buses to be taken away, even as more arrived, a Reuters witness said.

"This is violating the rights of the people and the country will not tolerate this anymore," Yogendra Solanki, one of those being pushed into a bus, told Reuters.

Police also detained 'Cockroach Janta Party' founder Abhijeet Dipke and senior leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka as the aircraft bringing them to Delhi arrived from Mumbai, CJP said in a statement.

"I have come to be arrested, arrest me ... I am not afraid of ⁠you guys," Dipke told police officers who spoke to the trio on board the aircraft, television images showed.

"No, this is not an arrest," one police officer replied. "Please cooperate."

DELHI LOCKED DOWN TO FOIL PROTEST

CJP condemned the "authoritarian detention" of its leaders, which it called a "pre-planned interception" aimed at crippling the leadership of Saturday's rally and demanded their immediate release.

Representatives of two digital media outlets said on X that police detained four of their reporters while covering the protest.

Some lawyers protesting outside the Supreme Court were also picked up, the president of its bar association posted on X.

There was no immediate comment from police on the detentions.

Elsewhere across the city of 20 million, 45 metro stations and markets were shut and mobile internet suspended in the central business district.

Police boarded buses to check for protesters after stopping them at points of entry into the city, with cars and other vehicles also subjected to checks, Reuters witnesses said.

Barricades and concrete blocks stopped traffic, while anti-riot vehicles mounted with tear gas guns were stationed on key routes, they said.

"Why is the prime minister so scared of the country's youth, the country's people?" Dipke had asked before leaving for Delhi.

"Why did you need to close all the railways, the metro, the internet has been closed, roads have been closed? ... this is nothing but ‌fear," he ⁠told the ANI news agency in the financial capital of Mumbai.

The protesters aimed to gather at Jantar Mantar, a protest site designated by authorities in the heart of New Delhi, at 10:00 am, but security curbs delayed their schedule.

NEW CHALLENGE TO MODI

The protest, which the CJP called an effort to "Save Democracy", is planned as the biggest of a series of demonstrations launched last week after the Indian Express newspaper said Kumar's deputies had queried and disagreed with him over list revisions that dropped about 130 million voters.

That number exceeds the population of Japan.

Opposition parties have long accused the government of trying to fix voter lists to its advantage and were quick to resurrect the allegations following the report.

Kumar has not ⁠commented, but the Election Commission and the BJP have denied the allegations.

The BJP says Modi's popularity and India's economic growth are key reasons for its electoral dominance and accuses opposition parties of misleading the country as they are unable to win elections.

Nonetheless, the near-daily protests by opposition groups pose a new political challenge to Modi, just months after similar demonstrations forced his education minister to quit over exam paper leaks.

They also come months before a series of key state elections starting ⁠in early 2027.

On Friday, Delhi police said they had not given permission for the protest and violators would face the law, but the CJP stuck to its plan on grounds of exercising a fundamental right.

DELETIONS AFFECTED STATE POLLS, OPPOSITION ALLEGES

The protesters accuse the BJP of using the revision of voter lists to sway election results, in collusion with its appointees in the Election Commission, including Kumar.

Opposition parties say the voter deletions affected the ⁠outcome of some recent state elections won by the BJP, and have cast a shadow on elections in the world's largest democracy.

Election Commission data shows about 130 million names were deleted from voter lists during the verification exercise, including 63 million who relocated, 30 million who could not be traced, and 28 million who are dead.

The commission says the count represents voter entries flagged during the draft revision stage and voters wrongly removed can enroll again.​

 

[Saif]

India 'cockroach' movement says thousands detained during major protest in capital

Indian police detained the head of the satirical "cockroach" online movement as well as thousands of protesters trying to take part in a major demonstration in New Delhi against the country's election commissioner, the group said on Saturday. The protest is the culmination of weeks of...

en.prothomalo.com

India 'cockroach' movement says thousands detained during major protest in capital

AFP
New Delhi

Police personnel detain a supporter of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) during a protest demanding the resignation of Indias Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged voter roll irregularities linked to the "special intensive revision" (SIR), in Ahmedabad on 10 October, 2026. AFP

Indian police detained the head of the satirical "cockroach" online movement as well as thousands of protesters trying to take part in a major demonstration in New Delhi against the country's election commissioner, the group said on Saturday.

The protest is the culmination of weeks of opposition mobilisation following allegations of misconduct during a nationwide voter-roll revision by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and two other leaders were detained before disembarking from a flight in the capital, according to a statement from the group.

"They're being denied access to their lawyers and cut off from all contact with others," it said, adding the trio had been taken to "an undisclosed location".

The CJP also said that thousands more protesters were detained in New Delhi as they attempted to march to the main Jantar Mantar protest site, defying a massive security clampdown.

"More than 15,000 protesters have been detained," Ajinkya Shinde, a CJP leader, said at a news conference in Delhi.

Police did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment on detentions.

"We will be back, let them fill up all the jails," Shinde said.

Dozens of protesters shouted anti-government slogans as they were taken away in police vehicles, AFP reporters witnessed.

Calls for the ECI chief Gyanesh Kumar to step down have intensified in recent weeks as opposition parties and critics said his commission's voter-roll revision could disenfranchise millions of constituents and benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

The ECI has rejected allegations of impropriety, saying the revision was intended to remove duplicate and ineligible voters.

Ahead of the protest, authorities in the capital deployed thousands of police, closed dozens of metro stations, cancelled more than 200 trains and temporarily shut down mobile internet around the protest site.

The demonstrations are widely seen as a reprise of the "cockroach" movement's mass mobilisation in July, which led to the education minister stepping down over an examination scandal.

This time, protesters are demanding Kumar's resignation and a halt to the voter revision exercise.

Police personnel detain supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) during a protest demanding the resignation of Indias Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged voter roll irregularities linked to the "special intensive revision" (SIR), in Ahmedabad on 10 October, 2026. AFP

Fresh challenge

The accusations are a fresh challenge for 76-year-old Modi during his third term in office.

Opposition parties have long alleged that legitimate voters are being struck off lists in India, the world's largest democracy with 1.4 billion people.

The issue flared up last month when the Indian Express newspaper reported that key decisions linked to the revision were likely taken without the approval of two of the three election commissioners.

The ECI, a constitutional body, says all its decisions were unanimous and legally valid.

Demonstrators expressed anger on Saturday, telling AFP their right to protest peacefully was being hampered.

Saransh, a university graduate, walked several miles after navigating security barricades to get close to the Jantar Mantar protest site.

"I am here to protect the constitution," said the 24-year-old, who gave only one name.

"Why do I need permission to peacefully express my opinion?"

'Keep protesting'

Amnesty International denounced the "lockdown-like restrictions" and leader of the opposition Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, called on young people to continue with the rallies.

"Youth of India, I am proud of you. Keep protesting. We are standing with you," he said.

The Hindu newspaper reported more than 5,000 protesters had been detained, although it was not immediately possible to verify that number.

Media outlets, including the Scroll and Newslaundry, said their journalists had also been detained briefly.

The United Nations' human rights office urged India to release those "arbitrarily detained" in the protests and expressed concern at reports of mass detentions.

BJP spokesman Sambit Patra said on Saturday the CJP had failed in its attempt to spread "anarchy".

"What is happening at Jantar Mantar, what you can see on TV and a few social media handles, is not India's story," he told reporters.

The voter list overhaul, which began in 2025, has led to more than 133 million names being excluded from draft rolls, according to Indian media reports citing ECI data.

The ECI has said the voter-roll revision identifies fraudulently registered voters and aims to prevent "foreign illegal immigrants" from voting.

Critics say the drive has disproportionately affected marginalised and minority communities.

Members of Modi's party have long alleged that large numbers of undocumented Muslim migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh have fraudulently entered India's electoral rolls.

Political analyst Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay told AFP the protest comes at a time when Modi appears to be "at his weakest politically and individually".

Though India's next general elections are not slated until 2029, the country's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh will go to the polls next year.

"I see this becoming a bigger challenge in the coming months," Mukhopadhyay said.​

 

[Saif]

"Why are people's voices being suppressed?": Bollywood actor Imran Khan detained in Mumbai

Bollywood actor Imran Khan was detained by the Mumbai Police on Saturday at August Kranti Maidan in Mumbai, the proposed venue for a protest in support of CJP’s protest call. Following his detention, the actor shared a picture of himself apparently seated inside a police van. He accompanied the...

en.prothomalo.com

"Why are people's voices being suppressed?": Bollywood actor Imran Khan detained in Mumbai

ANI
Mumbai, India

Bollywood actor Imran Khan was detained by the Mumbai Police on 10 October 2026. Hindustan Times

Bollywood actor Imran Khan was detained by the Mumbai Police on Saturday at August Kranti Maidan in Mumbai, the proposed venue for a protest in support of CJP’s protest call.

Following his detention, the actor shared a picture of himself apparently seated inside a police van. He accompanied the photograph with a light-hearted caption, writing, “Apparently I’m going for a drive.”

Speaking to the media, Imran Khan clarified that he was not present with any specific demands but had come forward in his capacity as a citizen of Mumbai. He said he wanted to understand why freedom of movement was being restricted and why people’s voices were being suppressed.

“I don't have demands. I am here as a citizen, as a person who lives in this city. I am here to see why freedom of movement is being restricted. Why are people's voices being suppressed? That is why I am here,” the actor said.

He further stated that he was not affiliated with any organisation and was participating in an individual capacity.

Emphasising his position, Imran added, “I don't have any right to demand anything from people. I am not a part of any organisation. I will stand as a representative.”

The actor’s detention comes amid police action at August Kranti Maidan, where authorities have detained more than 400 people, according to the Mumbai Police.

On the other hand, around 1,000 protesters have been detained across the national capital so far while attempting to march towards Jantar Mantar for a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Delhi Police sources said on Saturday.​

 

[Saif]

https://www.newagebd.net/post/south-asia/317396/un-calls-for-release-of-detained-protesters-in-india

UN calls for release of detained protesters in India
Staff Correspondent

Collected photo

The United Nations on Saturday called on Indian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all people arbitrarily detained amid large-scale demonstrations in New Delhi.

‘We call on the authorities to ensure that the right to peaceful assembly is fully respected and fulfilled,’ UN human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement.

The UN expressed concern over reports of mass detentions of demonstrators, protest leaders, members of civil society organisations, lawyers and journalists before and during the demonstrations.

‘Restrictions on peaceful protests must meet strict tests of necessity and proportionality,’ Al-Kheetan said.

He urged Indian law enforcement agencies to exercise the utmost restraint in dealing with peaceful protesters, in keeping with the country’s democratic traditions and human rights obligations.

The UN spokesperson also called on the authorities to engage in meaningful dialogue to address the widely shared concerns raised by the demonstrators.​