India detains Cockroach Janta Party leaders at Jantar Mantar protest site

Detentions at Jantar Mantar

Police in New Delhi detained leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday, 13 October, after they climbed over gates and barricades to enter Jantar Mantar, a central New Delhi observatory that had lost its status as an official protest venue the day before. Reuters counted about 20 volunteers who entered the site, and the CJP named leaders Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ajinkya Shinde among them, saying they had gone in to 'reclaim' the grounds. A party livestream showed about a dozen volunteers jumping a gate, waving the Indian flag and chanting slogans before officers took them away. Bloomberg reported that the leaders were arrested early on Wednesday, 14 October, and face court proceedings.

A dispute over the voter rolls

The protests are aimed at Gyanesh Kumar, the chief election commissioner, whose resignation the CJP and opposition groups demand over a revision of India's voter lists. According to the Guardian, the special intensive revision (SIR) has removed 130 million names from the electoral roll since last year, more than the population of Japan. The government calls SIR a legitimate clean-up of the rolls, while the Election Commission denies favouring any party and says wrongly deleted voters can re-enrol. The opposition argues that the revision could strip some voters of their ballot to the advantage of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Kumar's two deputies reportedly raised internal concerns about the revision, registration procedures and digital systems.

Crackdown in the capital

Over the weekend of 10 and 11 October, paramilitary forces, police and riot-control units sealed off parts of the capital, and reports describe cut internet connectivity and tall yellow barricades. Police detained thousands of people during the weekend, and they were soon released. The CJP had planned a Saturday demonstration, and its members were held for 24 hours after landing at New Delhi airport before being released on condition of no breach of peace for one year. On Monday, 12 October, Delhi Police announced that Jantar Mantar was no longer an official protest site and named three new venues. That day, opposition parties marched through the capital and presented a petition to the Supreme Court demanding Kumar's resignation, drawing tens of thousands of supporters according to the Guardian. After the detentions, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke wrote on X:

You cannot denotify the resistance

Earlier this year, a weeks-long sit-in at Jantar Mantar forced Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign over exam paper leaks. The CJP has vowed to 'fight on' against SIR, according to the Guardian.

1. Oct 10, 2026Thousands detained as police block the CJP's planned Saturday demonstration in Delhi
2. Oct 12, 2026Delhi Police drop Jantar Mantar as an official protest site as opposition march draws thousands
3. Oct 13, 2026CJP leaders detained after entering Jantar Mantar over barricades
4. Oct 14, 2026Leaders reportedly arrested early on Wednesday and facing court proceedings

Allegations and court appearance

According to Ratna Singh, the CJP's legal wing head, the three leaders face allegations including unauthorised entry, breach of bail conditions and obstructing a government employee in the course of duty. She said they were to be produced before a special executive magistrate court in the morning and could be sent to Tihar jail in judicial custody. According to the same account, the three were not allowed to meet their lawyers until midnight and were taken to Parliament Street police station at 3 am in a private van. The party's account has not been independently confirmed in the reporting, and the court proceedings are still pending.