A magistrate has ordered the release of Abhijeet Dipke and two senior colleagues on condition they keep the peace, while demonstrators calling for the election commissioner’s resignation were held for a second day.
Police in Delhi detained hundreds more protesters on Sunday as scattered demonstrations flared again, with demonstrators demanding the departure of India’s chief election commissioner. A Delhi executive magistrate separately ordered the release of Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), along with co-leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. The three had been detained aboard a plane arriving from Mumbai. More than 2,000 people were reportedly held in the capital on Saturday.
Released on condition
The magistrate’s order requires the three leaders to maintain peace for a year. It is not clear how far that requirement could limit their involvement in future protests.
The row over the electoral rolls
The protests are aimed at the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. Demonstrators claim the exercise risks striking eligible voters off the lists and could work in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling BJP. The government and the Election Commission deny any wrongdoing and reject claims of politically motivated manipulation.
Some reports have cited claims that more than 130 million voters were removed. The figure needs careful reading, because deletions can include people who have died, moved away or cannot be traced.
Security measures
Saturday’s operation reportedly involved roadblocks, restrictions around central Delhi, metro closures and the suspension of mobile internet in parts of the city. Detentions were not confined to the capital, and people were also held in Mumbai. This suggests the protests had spread into a national issue rather than a single gathering in Delhi.
From exam leaks to elections
The movement has already had one notable success. In July 2026, CJP-led protests over exam paper leaks and wider problems in the education system ended with the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The group then called off its demonstrations and described the outcome as a victory. The new campaign will test whether it can keep up momentum while moving from education to the integrity of elections.
Its name traces back to a remark attributed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant about people with fraudulent qualifications. The comment went viral, and some young people took it as an insult to unemployed youth. Mr Dipke turned the image into a satirical online movement, using the cockroach as a symbol of resilience and of people who feel ignored by the political system. The chief justice later clarified the context of his remarks.
