NEW DELHI — Leaders of a popular Indian youth movement vowed to continue protests Sunday after being released from detention, a day after police cracked down on demonstrations against a controversial revision of voter lists. The movement is demanding the resignation of the country’s election chief.
The demonstrations unfolded following the removal of over 130 million voters from the electorate since last year. Critics describe the adjustment as politically motivated, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and the Election Commission dispute such allegations.
Three leaders of the Cockroach Janata Party—Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka—were freed pending a commitment to refrain from any breaches of peace for one year, according to Ratna Singh, the movement’s legal director.
As the trio prepared to mobilise a rally in New Delhi, police boarded their aircraft en route and placed them under custody.
Following their release, Dipke publicly dismissed Prime Minister Modi as “an embarrassment to India,” labeling him “a bigger coward and bully” in his X post.
Spokesperson Das called on supporters to return to the streets, stating that “the state is currently engaged in open conflict with its own citizens.”
In response to Saturday’s demonstrations, authorities conducted a broad security sweep in the capital, detaining more than 2,000 protesters, including several opposition lawmakers.
Most of the detainees were liberated late on Saturday, according to official reports.
Small groups of activists later converged on New Delhi on Sunday, organising citywide marches before being quickly dispersal attempts by police, which re‑detained a portion of the participants.
The coalition is insisting on the immediate resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, the Chief Election Commissioner, whose leadership has become a focal demand of the campaign.
The Cockroach movement originally began as an online satire initiative this past summer after the chief justice described unemployed youths as parasites. The animal emblem has since taken root as a powerful symbol of resilience among many young Indians.
Earlier this week, the protests forced the resignation of Modi’s Education Minister in July—a rarity for the leader, who has held office for more than twelve years.
