Law enforcement authorities in the Indian capital have detained leaders of the country's youth-led "cockroach" movement after they breached barricades to access a prominent protest site in New Delhi. The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of the country's chief election commissioner (CEC) in connection with controversial revisions to voter lists, which critics claim allegedly favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das, and Ajinkya Shinde were among roughly 20 volunteers who reportedly sneaked into the Jantar Mantar site to reclaim the popular demonstration area before being detained on Tuesday. CJP supporters and various opposition factions have staged nearly daily demonstrations throughout the month, calling for the ouster of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over the disputed electoral adjustments.

Thousands of people had participated in a protest march following a heavy-handed crackdown by the regional regime that disrupted CJP's weekend demonstration plans. The Delhi Police announced that the historic Jantar Mantar open-air astronomical observatory was stripped of its status as an official protest venue, with authorities designating three alternative locations instead. Nonetheless, movement leaders decided to proceed with their demonstration at the traditional site, leading to widespread detentions.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke criticized the detentions online, asserting that government attempts to stifle dissent would fail to halt their broader political campaign. Meanwhile, the Election Commission has consistently denied showing partiality toward any political entity regarding the voter list updates, maintaining that individuals who were erroneously removed retain the right to re-enrol.

Source: www.aljazeera.com