Sign upEnrich your Al Jazeera experience by signing in or creating an account. India protest live: ‘Cockroach’ leaders detained; New Delhi in lockdown _Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke and other leaders detained before protest to demand election chief’s resignation._ Security personnel stand guard before a protest by the youth-led Cockroach Janata Party organised to demand the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner in New Delhi on October 10, 2026 [AFP] Share India police detain ‘cockroach’ leaders before rally against election chief on social media The protests are centred on India’s Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which the opposition says has disenfranchised millions of eligible voters, including a large number of Muslims. The protesters accuse the governing BJP of using the SIR to sway election results, in collusion with its appointees in the Election Commission, including the poll panel’s chief, Gyanesh Kumar.
Last month, an investigation by the Indian Express revealed that Kumar’s deputies had queried and disagreed with him over list revisions that dropped about 130 million voters. That number exceeds the population of Japan. Opposition parties have long accused the government of trying to fix voter lists to its advantage.
Kumar has not commented but the Election Commission and the BJP have denied the allegations. Share What is India’s election chief accused of? on social media Delhi Police personnel barricade a street before a youth protest demanding the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner over alleged vote fraud [AFP] A vendor rides past a police checkpoint in New Delhi on October 10, 2026 [AFP] Pedestrians walk away after police barricade a street near Jantar Mantar in New Delhi [AFP] People sit outside a closed metro station in New Delhi on October 9, 2026 [AFP] Share Photos: New Delhi in lockdown as police crack down on protesters on social media Police have detained the founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Abhijeet Dipke, before a protest called by the youth movement demanding the resignation of the country’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Indian TV channels reported earlier that police officers met Dipke at the New Delhi airport after he arrived from the financial capital Mumbai and asked him to call off the protest as authorities had banned it.
CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were also arrested from their flight upon landing, the movement said in a statement. Share Police detain ‘Cockroach’ movement founder Abhijeet Dipke on social media Advertisement Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of India’s youth returning to the streets as anger grows against the election chief and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Stay with us for the latest news and analysis of the planned protest rally called by the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and other youth groups in the capital New Delhi.
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