Police detain Cockroach Janta Party leaders after protest at Jantar Mantar

Leaders of India’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) were detained by police early Tuesday after climbing over barricades at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to protest against the country’s election chief.

Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, accompanied by other party members, entered the historic observatory site holding the Indian flag and chanted slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke shared videos of the incident on social media, while Das posted that the site had been reclaimed before they were taken away.

Ranka later broadcast live on Instagram from a police bus alongside other detainees, stating they would not back down. The exact location where police took the detained leaders was not immediately clear.

The detentions follow a federal home ministry announcement on Monday de-notifying Jantar Mantar as a designated protest venue. Authorities have instead designated three alternative locations requiring official permission for demonstrations. Ranka had previously noted on X that the site was de-notified shortly after the CJP requested permission for a peaceful protest.

Demonstrations have persisted across Delhi as protesters challenge new restrictions on assembly. Over the weekend, police deployed thousands of personnel, closed metro stations, disrupted train services, and detained and released thousands of demonstrators.

The protests stem from opposition anger over a controversial revision of electoral rolls by the Election Commission, which has removed tens of millions of names and drawn petitions in the Supreme Court by the Congress party. Critics argue the revision excludes eligible voters, while opposition parties allege it benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party. Both the government and the Election Commission have rejected the allegations.

Tensions heightened following a media report alleging the Chief Election Commissioner disregarded concerns raised by fellow commissioners regarding voter registration changes. The Election Commission maintained that its decisions were unanimous.

The CJP emerged as a pressure group following student-led demonstrations earlier this year over exam irregularities. The group derived its name from online satire after the Chief Justice of India compared unemployed youth to cockroaches during a May court hearing—a remark the Chief Justice later stated was misinterpreted.