New Delhi (GNP): Indian police detained Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), for a second time on Friday. Hundreds of protesters had gathered in central New Delhi to demand the resignation of the country’s chief election commissioner.
A senior police officer, Sachin Sharma, said Dipke and student activist Neha Bora were taken into preventive detention. Bora was stopped while trying to reach Connaught Place with supporters. The CJP said on X that Delhi Police had detained its founder, and accused the government of fearing young people who wave the national flag.
The protests centre on a revision of voter lists, which opposition parties say favours Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Election Commission denies political bias and says voters wrongly removed from the lists can re-enrol.
Friday’s detentions followed an earlier crackdown this week. Two CJP leaders were detained after demonstrating at a restricted protest site and were remanded in judicial custody for five days. The CJP and left-wing student organisations then called on supporters to gather at Central Park in Connaught Place to hoist and wave the national flag.
Police warned Dipke against going ahead earlier on Friday, and security was tightened across central Delhi. Hundreds of officers in riot gear were deployed, and civic authorities closed the park. Despite this, nearly 500 protesters gathered in groups at about half a dozen locations around Connaught Place, waving flags and shouting slogans. Some were taken away in police vehicles.
Data analyst Saurav Kumar told those present that he would gladly go to jail if waving the tricolour had become a crime. He said the government’s refusal to give protesters space or admit faults in the system was not healthy for a democracy. He was detained soon afterwards.
The unrest has spread beyond the capital. Smaller demonstrations took place in Mumbai and Bengaluru, while student organisations protested in Patna and pushed against police barricades.
The protests gained momentum after a media report said two deputies to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had internally raised concerns about voter-list changes, registration procedures and digital systems.
Figures released by the Election Commission show about 130 million names were removed during the revision. These included 28 million people who had died, 63 million who had relocated and 30 million who could not be traced.
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Opposition parties allege that the removals disproportionately affect Muslims and other minorities, who they say are less likely to back the BJP. Both the Election Commission and the BJP reject this. The BJP has accused opposition groups of undermining legitimate electoral processes by questioning the revision.
The CJP has emerged as a youth-led movement challenging the government on several issues. Earlier this year, a weeks-long sit-in by its supporters over examination paper leaks preceded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has since accused the main opposition Congress party of using the protests to seize power. Singh said, “Young people’s energy should go toward nation-building, not be used as pawns in the politics of anarchy.”
Managing Editor at Global News Pakistan (GNP), with a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Riphah International University, graduated with a Gold Medal. Reach out at sabahtareengnp@gmail.com
