Hundreds of protesters have been detained in Delhi.
As India’s Gen-Z-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) pressed ahead with demonstrations demanding electoral reforms, despite a massive security crackdown.
The group’s founder, Abhijeet Dipke, and two other leaders were detained aboard a flight from Mumbai on Saturday, according to the CJP.
Thousands of security personnel were deployed, roads were blocked and metro stations closed.
Keeping demonstrators far from their intended protest site at Jantar Mantar. But what sparked the movement?
The CJP emerged in May after India’s Chief Justice compared some unemployed young people to “cockroaches”.
Dipke turned the remark into a rallying cry, building a movement around unemployment, education problems and government accountability.
Now, the group is demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations that voter lists are being manipulated.
Electoral Accountability Under Pressure
The Election Commission says its nationwide review is a routine effort to remove dead, duplicate and ineligible voters.
The commission and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP have denied accusations of political favouritism.
Before his detention, Dipke warned: “If you think you can stop us by threatening us with jail … you are mistaken.”
For protester Sabika Muzaffar, attending meant preparing for arrest.
She told the BBC that she and her mother memorised their lawyer’s number on the way.
With crucial state elections approaching, the standoff raises a bigger question.
Can demands for electoral accountability be heard when protesters cannot even reach the protest site?
