Indian Court Orders Release of Cockroach Janta Party Leaders Following Mass Detentions

A Delhi executive court has ordered the release of Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka, leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), following nearly 24 hours of detention. The ruling came on Sunday as the youth-led movement intensified its campaign against alleged voter list manipulation and called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The detention of the three key figures occurred as authorities attempted to preemptively quell a planned demonstration in the capital. Dipke, the party founder, and co-conveners Das and Ranka were apprehended immediately upon landing in New Delhi. Prior to the court order, the CJP had criticized the lack of access to legal representation and the concealment of the leaders’ whereabouts.

Saturday saw significant civil unrest across parts of Delhi, characterized by a heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces that effectively outnumbered the demonstrators. In an unusual move for the national capital, mobile internet services were suspended in central Delhi, and dozens of metro stations were closed. Authorities cited violations of protest bans as the justification for the mass detentions.

Reports from Indian media indicate that Delhi Police have released thousands of arrested individuals. While the CJP stated that over 15,000 people, including many students, had been detained nationwide, the newspaper The Hindu cited police sources claiming approximately 3,500 arrests in Delhi alone—2,500 during the protest and 1,000 under preventive measures.

Despite the crackdown, the movement remains undeterred. Ajinkya Shinde, the CJP’s interim protest leader, announced plans for a fresh march to Jantar Mantar on Sunday, declaring, “We’re not backing down! We will march to Jantar Mantar again tomorrow.” The protest has garnered broader political support, with four former state chief ministers also briefly detained during the demonstrations.