Indian authorities crack down on Cockroach movement protest in New Delhi
On Saturday, October 10, Indian authorities deployed tens of thousands of security personnel and erected barricades across New Delhi to preempt protests organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Demonstrators demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over voter list revisions that opposition groups warn will disenfranchise millions to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Election Commission of India denied wrongdoing, maintaining the revision merely removes duplicate voters.
A sweeping police crackdown resulted in thousands of detentions. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke was detained alongside leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka upon arriving from Mumbai, leaving Ajinkya Shinde to direct marches toward Jantar Mantar. Prominent opposition figures were also taken into custody, including former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party, former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, and former Kerala leader Pinarayi Vijayan. Congress party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra condemned the clampdown as an assault on democracy. Police also briefly detained journalists from Newslaundry and Scroll, prompting protests from the Committee to Protect Journalists amid scrutiny over India's ranking of 157th in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders.
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