Indian police have arrested Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the youth-led Cockroach Janata Party, according to multiple media reports on Saturday. Dipke was detained on Friday as he stepped out of a house in central Delhi and was taken away in a police vehicle after a brief argument.
Authorities said the arrest was made to prevent a breach of the peace. He is expected to appear before a Special Executive Magistrate on Saturday. Delhi police have not yet issued an official statement on the matter.
The detention came just before a planned rally in the capital that attracted hundreds of people waving the national flag. Protesters from the Cockroach Janata Party, opposition groups and student organisations have been holding near-daily demonstrations this month. Their main demand is the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a major revision of voter lists.
More than 130 million voters were removed during the special intensive revision. The Election Commission has rejected claims of any bias and stated that those wrongly deleted can re-register. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has accused the opposition of trying to weaken democratic institutions by questioning the process.
Student activist Neha Bora, another prominent face of the protests, was also detained on Friday while trying to reach central Delhi with supporters. She was released on Saturday and immediately called for the election chief’s impeachment and an end to the voter list revision so that ordinary citizens can feel secure about their voting rights.
Dipke had organised Friday’s protest in support of two party leaders who were sent to jail earlier this week for five days after violating a ban at a demonstration site. Police had already met him and warned him not to go ahead with the gathering.
The Cockroach Janata Party has grown into one of the strongest political challenges faced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP during his 12 years in power. Earlier this year, a prolonged sit-in by the movement’s supporters forced the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over exam paper leaks.
