India’s Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has reported that authorities have detained many of its members as protests continue, demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar. The protests, which involve thousands of supporters and members from various student groups, are scheduled to culminate in a mass demonstration on Saturday at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
The CJP was formed in mid-May following remarks by Chief Justice Surya Kant, who referred to unemployed youth as "cockroaches," which led to widespread public discontent. Since its inception, the movement has gained significant traction among young people in India.
Ashutosh Ranka, a spokesperson for the CJP, stated on X that “at least 10,000” individuals associated with the movement and various student organizations have been detained nationwide. Among those arrested is CJP national spokesman Deepak Baliyan, who was taken into custody on Thursday.
While Al Jazeera could not immediately verify the claims, videos shared on X depicted activists being transported in police vans. The CJP and its supporters are demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar over a controversial revision of voter lists, which they allege favors Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Election Commission of India has removed over 130 million names from the voter lists, prompting appeals from millions of affected individuals. Approximately 969 million people are eligible to vote in the upcoming 2024 election. Protesters argue that the revisions disproportionately affect voters who support opposition parties.
The commission and the government have denied these allegations, asserting that the revisions are intended to eliminate duplicate and ineligible entries while ensuring that eligible voters remain registered. Earlier on Thursday, protests were also held in Bengaluru, where demonstrators carried signs stating, “Every name counts, Every vote matters” and “Stop the Murder of Democracy.”
Khushi Shrivastava, a 22-year-old architecture student participating in the protests, expressed her concerns about voting rights, stating, “I think voting right is the most basic point of democracy … People who actually want to vote, who actually care about the future of India, they are just being [denied] voting rights.”
On Wednesday, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was briefly detained for the third time in two days, with his Congress Party accusing police of using excessive force. Police have responded by stating that such allegations are intended to defame them, while BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia labeled the claims as being made by an “irresponsible, anarchist opposition.”