Indian Authorities Release ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ Founder Abhijit Dipke and Senior Leaders

PothikTV News Desk: 11 October 2026, 9:34 am

Abhijit Dipke, the founder of India’s youth-led ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ (CJP) movement, has been released from custody alongside two other senior leaders, according to statements made by his lawyer on social media platform X.

Dipke and the other movement leaders were originally detained on Saturday immediately after their flight landed in Delhi. The CJP had planned to gather thousands of demonstrators at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi to demand the resignation of India’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar.

A court ordered the release of Dipke and his two colleagues on Sunday, marking the second day of youth protests in the capital. The movement centers its outrage on a controversial voter list revision process, which critics argue unfairly benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The protests prompted a widespread crackdown by Indian authorities on Saturday, during which police detained over 3,000 individuals across Delhi to prevent the planned mass gathering. Mass detentions sparked anger directed at both election officials and the nationalist government.

By Sunday, thousands of police and paramilitary personnel remained deployed across New Delhi to maintain order. Despite the heavy security presence, municipal transport resumed operations as metro stations were reopened and mobile internet services were fully restored.

According to police sources, the majority of the individuals detained on the first day of protests were released by late Saturday night. However, the Cockroach Janata Party announced its intention to continue demonstrating despite the mass arrests.

Opposition political parties and government critics strongly condemned the authorities, alleging an excessive use of force against peaceful demonstrators. International observers also monitored the situation closely as the crackdown unfolded across the capital.

The United Nations Human Rights Office expressed deep concern over the pre-emptive and ongoing mass detentions. UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan called on Indian authorities to fully respect the right to peaceful assembly and take all necessary steps to guarantee it.

In response to international criticism, India’s Ministry of External Affairs rejected the UN statement, characterizing the organization’s stance as selective and labelling its comments as an unwarranted interference in India’s internal affairs.