Abhijeet Dipke arrested in Delhi following youth voter roll protests
Police arrested Indian “cockroach” movement founder Abhijeet Dipke, according to several media reports on Saturday, after he was detained on Friday ahead of a Delhi rally that drew hundreds of people waving the national flag and demanding the resignation of India’s election chief. Dipke was arrested to prevent a breach of the peace and will be called before a Special Executive Magistrate on Saturday, broadcasters NDTV and India Today said. Delhi police did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. The youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), opposition groups and student organisations have held near-daily protests this month demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over a revision of voter lists that they say favours Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). More than 130 million voters were deleted during the revision. The Election Commission has denied favouring any party and said wrongly deleted voters can re-enrol. The BJP has accused rivals of trying to undermine democracy by wrongly questioning legitimate electoral processes. Student activist Neha Bora, a prominent face of the protests, who was also detained on Friday as she tried to reach central Delhi with dozens of supporters, was released on Saturday. “Please, spare the people of India. Impeach Gyanesh Kumar and halt SIR (special intensive revision), so that the ordinary citizens of this country can breathe a sigh of relief, feel at ease, and have their voting rights ensured,” Bora told ANI news agency after she was released. Dipke was detained on Friday as he stepped out of a house in central Delhi, with police hauling him into a police car and driving away after a brief argument. Dipke had called Friday’s protest in support of two CJP leaders detained and sent to jail this week for five days for demonstrating at a protest site in violation of a ban. Earlier on Friday, police had met Dipke and warned him against going ahead with the protest. The cockroach movement has emerged as one of the biggest political challenges faced by Modi and the BJP in the prime minister’s 12 years in power. A weeks-long sit-in by supporters of the movement earlier this year forced Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over exam paper leaks.
Police in India have formally arrested Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the youth-led Cockroach Janata Party, following his preventative detention ahead of demonstrations in the capital, according to local television reports on Saturday.
Broadcasters NDTV and India Today reported that Dipke was taken into custody to avert potential disruptions to public order. Authorities are expected to produce him before a Special Executive Magistrate. Law enforcement took him into custody on Friday as he left a residence in central Delhi, ushering him into a police vehicle following a short confrontation. Officers had previously met with Dipke earlier that day to urge him to cancel planned demonstrations.
The demonstration in New Delhi attracted hundreds of participants carrying the Indian national flag to call for the stepping down of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The Cockroach Janata Party had organized Friday's gathering to demonstrate solidarity with two colleagues who had been handed five-day jail terms earlier in the week for assembling at a prohibited demonstration location.
Student groups, opposition figures, and party supporters have staged near-constant rallies throughout the month. Demonstrators are expressing anger over a recent electoral roll overhaul known as the special intensive revision, which resulted in the removal of upwards of 130 million names from voter registries. Protesters contend the changes unfairly benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Both the government and election officials have rejected accusations of political bias. The Election Commission maintained that the process was neutral and noted that anyone improperly dropped from voter lists retains the ability to register again. Representatives from the BJP have countered by asserting that the opposition is attempting to erode faith in legitimate democratic systems.
Neha Bora, a student leader prominent in the demonstrations who was taken into custody alongside dozens of demonstrators on Friday while traveling toward the city center, was freed on Saturday. Following her release, Bora appealed publicly through the ANI news service for officials to halt the electoral list revision and pursue the impeachment of the chief election commissioner so that citizen voting rights remain protected.
The Cockroach Janata Party movement has developed into a notable political challenge during Modi's twelve years leading the government. A protracted sit-in conducted by the group earlier this year previously prompted the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan amid public outcry regarding leaked academic examination papers. Delhi police did not immediately reply to requests seeking comment on the latest arrests.
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VerifiedReported from Dawn (Pakistan).
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