India detains Abhijeet Dipke, leader of 'cockroach' movement, ahead of Delhi protest

Indian police detained Abhijeet Dipke, leader of the youth-led "cockroach" movement, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), in New Delhi on Friday. He was held ahead of fresh protests demanding the removal of the country's election chief, the group said in a social media post.

Why was Abhijeet Dipke detained in Delhi?

Delhi Police detained Dipke, 31, shortly before a protest called by the CJP at Central Park in Connaught Place, a busy commercial district in the heart of New Delhi. The group says the protest was meant to demand the election chief's removal.

"Abhijeet is detained by Delhi Police!!! This government is so scared of the youth waving national flag!!," the CJP said on social media. Thousands of security personnel were deployed in central Delhi on Friday, and police warned protesters to stay away, citing orders restricting public gatherings.

What led to the protest at Central Park?

Dipke had urged supporters to carry national flags and gather at Central Park after two of his colleagues were detained. They were held for breaching security barricades at Jantar Mantar, a protest site that police declared off-limits this week.

In the past week, the Indian capital has seen several street protests against the electoral roll revision. The revision was overseen by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Why is the Cockroach Janta Party demanding the election chief's removal?

The CJP and opposition parties have been seeking the resignation of India's chief election commissioner over a large-scale voter roll revision. They say the exercise favors Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party.

More than 133 million names have been removed from electoral lists under the exercise, according to figures reported by Indian media and cited by opposition parties in court filings. Critics say the removals have disproportionately affected minorities, particularly Muslims.

How has the Election Commission of India responded?

The Election Commission of India, which oversees voting in the world's most populous nation, has denied any wrongdoing. Election authorities say the move was intended to eliminate duplicate, deceased and fraudulent entries.