The founder of India "cockroach" protest movement, Abhijeet Dipke, has been detained in Delhi ahead of a planned march in the heart of the capital. His detention follows a police warning against holding Friday march, with thousands of security personnel deployed across the city to prevent the gathering. Dipke youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is demanding the resignation of India election chief over allegations of voter list manipulation. The Election Commission denies the charge.
The group had asked its supporters to come to a park in Connaught Place, one of Delhi busiest commercial districts, to wave the Indian flag. The turnout was smaller than at earlier CJP demonstrations though the crowd seemed to be swelling. The BBC saw some young protesters being detained and shoved into a bus which already held some female detainees, there were about 50 female police personnel in the bus, vastly outnumbering the protesters.
Dipke had just left home and was moments away from reaching his vehicle when the BBC saw police officers surround him and force him into a police car. Some CJP supporters tried to block the vehicle from leaving. Anish Gawande, the opposition politician at whose house Dipke had been staying, questioned why police had detained him. Police have not yet publicly confirmed the grounds for the detention.
According to reports, police officers stopped Dipke as he was stepping out of a residence in the national capital. Dipke had called for a peaceful demonstration to protest against the recent arrest of two key CJP leaders, who were taken into custody earlier this week. Live footage showed Dipke questioning officers as he was being taken away, stating that he had not broken any law. Police officials had previously met with Dipke to warn him against holding any public rally without official permission. Security has now been heightened across key parts of Delhi, especially near protest sites, to prevent crowds from gathering.
The unique movement, widely popular among young citizens online, has been raising its voice on critical issues affecting the common public. Dipke sudden detention has sparked strong reactions on social media, with supporters calling the police action unfair and demanding his immediate release. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely to maintain law and order.
