K Annamalai criticizes Delhi Police over arrests of Cockroach Janta Party members

NEW DELHI — Former Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K Annamalai on Tuesday criticized the Delhi Police over its actions against Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) members, arguing that authorities should address substantive public queries rather than resorting to arrests.

Speaking on the matter, Mr. Annamalai stated that the Delhi Police was doing a “real disservice” through its recent crackdown on CJP members. While acknowledging that he did not agree with all of the group’s tactics or modes of protest, he defended their democratic right to raise critical questions regarding electoral roll revisions and related matters. He added that arresting and detaining leaders would only make them stronger, and expressed concern that the police had “taken the law into their hands.”

The controversy stems from CJP agitations concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which led to police crackdowns and subsequent arrests of its members. The handling of the group has drawn broader political friction, intersecting with debates over institutional integrity and political dissent.

Weighing in on the wider political discourse regarding the electoral roll revisions, Mr. Annamalai also noted that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi possessed every right to question the SIR process, provided such scrutiny did not cause institutional damage.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee strongly condemned the legal proceedings against the detained opposition figures. She slammed the extension of CJP leaders’ custody, characterizing the official actions as “State-sponsored terrorism & police-sponsored atrocities.”