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Saurav Das, chief spokesperson of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), speaks next to Ashutosh Ranka, co-convenner of CJP, during a press conference.
AFP
A New Delhi magistrate on Wednesday ordered the release of Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, two leaders of India's youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, a week after police detained them over alleged attempts to disturb public peace.
Who are the 'cockroach' movement leaders India ordered released?
Saurav Das, 27, and Ashutosh Ranka, 30, lead the Cockroach Janta Party movement. They were taken into custody on October 14, and the special executive magistrate in Delhi ordered their release, according to an official order. They had appeared before the magistrate on Monday, when their detention was extended by two days.
Why were the CJP leaders detained?
Delhi Police said Das and Ranka were detained for their "alleged repeated attempts to disturb public peace and violate the law." The pair had jumped security barricades to wave the national flag at Jantar Mantar, a decades-old protest site that police have barred people from using.
Jantar Mantar, in the heart of the capital, has been sealed off with yellow metal barricades for more than a week and guarded by security personnel. Delhi Police said they had removed the site from the list of designated protest venues.
What does the Cockroach Janta Party want?
CJP activists and opposition parties have defied a security crackdown to demand the resignation of India's chief election commissioner. They accuse the poll body of manipulating voter rolls to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party.
The commission oversees voting in the world's most populous nation. It has denied any wrongdoing.
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