India's Cockroach Janta Party leaders released in Delhi as protests continue
Abhijeet Dipke and two other Cockroach Janta Party leaders were freed on a court condition on Sunday as protests continued in Delhi for a second day, the BBC reported.
Key facts
- Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were arrested on arrival in Delhi on Saturday and released on Sunday, according to the BBC.
- A magistrate's court freed them "on the condition that they will not engage in breach of peace for one year", police said, per the BBC.
- Media reports said 7,000 protesters were detained and released on Saturday, with hundreds detained on Sunday, the BBC reported.
- The CJP has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of manipulating voters' lists, which the Election Commission has denied, the BBC reported.
- The BBC reported the CJP, which is seeking electoral reforms, is not registered as a political party in India.
Leaders of India's Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) were arrested on arrival in Delhi on Saturday and released on Sunday, according to the BBC. The BBC named them as Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. A magistrate's court set them free "on the condition that they will not engage in breach of peace for one year", police said, according to the BBC.
After his release, Dipke posted on X: "Modi, as PM, is an embarrassment to India." In his first comments after his release, he said "the CJP will neither back down nor be intimidated", the BBC reported. Dipke also said he was going to his village to attend the funeral of his grandmother, who died around the time of his arrest.
Ranka and Das told a news conference that the court condition did not mean they could not protest. "Peaceful protest is our constitutional right and Jantar Mantar is a designated protest site, so this doesn't mean we can't do peaceful protest," Ranka said, according to the BBC. He also said "Breach of peace is done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and CEC Gyanesh Kumar", and that the CJP will continue to protest.
The BBC reported demonstrations in the capital for a second day, with thousands of security personnel deployed and roads barricaded. Much of central Delhi had offices, shops and restaurants shut and internet services curtailed, the BBC reported. Media reports said 7,000 protesters were detained and released on Saturday, with hundreds detained on Sunday, according to the BBC. The BBC said it witnessed many detentions, including that of activist Neha Bora.
The CJP is seeking electoral reforms months before state elections, the BBC reported. It has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of manipulating voters' lists, which the Election Commission has denied, according to the BBC. The BBC reported the CJP is not registered as a political party in India. The New York Times described the CJP as an Indian youth movement whose leaders had been detained by police on Saturday before they could lead protests over voting rights.
Context
The BBC reported that Dipke began the movement in May after India's Chief Justice likened some jobless young people to "cockroaches". The CJP's demands include electoral reforms and the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner over allegations of manipulating voters' lists, which the Election Commission has denied.
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