Protests Continue in Delhi as Cockroach Janta Party Leaders Vow to Persist

Hundreds of protesters continued to be detained in Delhi on Sunday. India's Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has vowed to continue its protest seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, even as demonstrations persist for a second day, with thousands of security personnel deployed and roads barricaded. Abhijeet Dipke, who began the movement in May after India's Chief Justice likened some jobless young people to "cockroaches," and other leaders were arrested on arrival in Delhi on Saturday but were released on Sunday. Dipke stated, "the CJP will neither back down nor be intimidated" in his first comments after his release. Media reports indicated that 7,000 protesters were detained and released on Saturday, with hundreds detained on Sunday. The CJP, which is not registered as a political party in India, is seeking electoral reforms just months before crucial state elections. They have also demanded the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of manipulating voters' lists, which the Election Commission has denied. On Sunday morning, Dipke and two other senior CJP leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were released by a magistrate's court "on the condition that they will not engage in breach of peace for one year," according to police. After his release, Dipke posted on X: "Modi, as PM, is an embarrassment to India." He mentioned he was going to his village to attend his grandmother's funeral, who died around the time of his arrest. He reiterated that "the CJP will neither back down nor be intimidated." Ranka and Das later stated at a news conference that the condition did not prevent them from protesting. "Peaceful protest is our constitutional right and Jantar Mantar is a designated protest site, so this doesn't mean we can't do peaceful protest," Ranka said. He added that "Breach of peace is done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and CEC Gyanesh Kumar," and emphasized that the CJP will continue to protest. On Saturday, dramatic scenes unfolded as police officials boarded the flight to detain Dipke, Das, and Ranka as their plane landed. For a second consecutive day, much of central Delhi was barricaded, with offices, shops, and restaurants closed and internet services curtailed. In Connaught Place, a major shopping and entertainment hub, rows of yellow police barricades were guarded by thousands of police and paramilitary personnel. Protesters were outnumbered by security personnel, and many detentions were witnessed. Some protesters were placed onto buses before being driven away, with others attempting to escape while chanting "Gyanesh must go!" Small groups of protesters managed to slip past barricades and sprint through the streets, but were quickly surrounded and detained by police. The most notable incident involved activist Neha Bora, who was chased and detained by police. Some protesters expressed uncertainty about the movement's momentum in the absence of CJP's top leadership on the ground. "Without them, we're feeling a little lost," one protester admitted, but added, "But that doesn't mean we'll stop our fight." The CJP had called for a protest on Saturday at Jantar Mantar, where they had previously occupied the road for weeks seeking education reforms. Police had denied them permission, resulting in a lockdown with significant restrictions to prevent protesters from reaching the venue. At least 45 metro stations were closed, and major train services were canceled. Many protesters traveling from outside were de-boarded en route. Internet services were also curtailed in central Delhi for the entire day. Following the detention of CJP leaders and other activists, the CJP called for additional protests on Sunday. The Indian Supreme Court held a special hearing on Sunday regarding complaints of shutdowns and detentions, ordering the government to restore internet services and ensure normal functioning of metro and rail services unless public order was disturbed. The court also mandated the free movement of people and prohibited illegal detentions. The controversy centers on a nationwide exercise to update electoral rolls, which the commission has described as routine to eliminate dead, duplicate, or ineligible voters. So far, at least 130 million voter names have been purged from the rolls, leading to allegations of wrongful removals. The CJP and opposition parties accuse Kumar of favoring Prime Minister Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the electoral roll updates, which both the Election Commission and the BJP have denied. The CJP emerged as a major protest movement during previous demonstrations over the summer demanding education reforms. Dipke, who previously worked with the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), had completed a master's degree at Boston University when he wrote on X in May: "What if all cockroaches come together?" His post went viral, leading to the formation of the CJP, which gained momentum by addressing issues such as unemployment, exam paper leaks, and government accountability. Their five-week-long protest concluded in July with the resignation of India's education minister.