Abhijeet Dipke was detained ahead of a protest over disputed voter-list revisions and demands for the election chief’s resignation.
NEW DELHI, INDIA — WEB DESK: Indian police have arrested Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), after detaining him ahead of a rally in New Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, according to media reports published on Saturday.
Dipke was detained on Friday, October 16, as he left a house in central Delhi, Reuters reported. Broadcasters NDTV and India Today said he was subsequently arrested to prevent a breach of peace and was due to appear before a Special Executive Magistrate.
Delhi Police had not immediately responded to Reuters’ request for comment.
The rally drew hundreds of demonstrators waving Indian national flags and demanding action over changes to electoral rolls that opposition groups say have unfairly affected voters.
Why the Cockroach movement is protesting
The Cockroach Janta Party, opposition groups and student organisations have organised protests calling for Kumar to resign over revisions to voter lists.
Critics argue that the changes could benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Election Commission has denied favouring any political party and said voters whose names were wrongly removed can re-enrol.
More than 130 million voter names were reportedly deleted during the revision process, making the scale and impact of the changes a central issue in the dispute.
The BJP has accused opposition groups of undermining democratic processes by questioning the electoral system. The competing claims have fuelled protests and heightened political tensions in the capital.
Arrest follows earlier detentions
Dipke had called Friday’s rally in support of two CJP leaders who were detained earlier in the week and sent to jail for five days after allegedly entering Jantar Mantar, a prominent protest location, in violation of restrictions.
Police had warned Dipke against proceeding with the rally, according to Reuters.
The latest arrest follows an earlier round of detentions involving Dipke and other movement leaders when they arrived in Delhi for a planned demonstration. Authorities have repeatedly taken action against gatherings linked to the protests, citing restrictions on demonstrations and concerns about public order.
The movement’s supporters have continued to call for the election chief’s resignation despite the detentions.
Student activist released
Student activist Neha Bora, another prominent figure in the protests, was also detained on Friday while attempting to reach central Delhi with supporters.
She was released on Saturday, according to Reuters. After her release, Bora called for Kumar’s impeachment and urged authorities to halt the special intensive revision process, saying voters’ rights needed to be protected.
Her release came as demonstrators continued to gather in the capital over the disputed electoral-roll changes.
Election dispute remains unresolved
The controversy centres on whether the voter-list revision process has unfairly removed eligible voters or primarily corrected records. Opposition groups have raised concerns about possible political effects, while the Election Commission maintains that the process is not designed to favour a party.
The scale of the reported deletions has intensified scrutiny of the process, but the number of names removed does not by itself establish how many eligible voters were wrongly excluded.
The immediate legal status of Dipke and any further action by authorities will depend on the proceedings following his arrest.
The protests and arrests have kept the dispute over voter registration and the role of India’s election authorities in the political spotlight.
