Cockroach party leader is among 2,000 arrested at protest as they demand India’s election chief resigns

DAILYMAIL.COM • 2h ago

By JOSHUA HAINING, NEWS REPORTER 17:03 10 Oct 2026, updated 17:32 10 Oct 2026

The Cockroach Party leader is one of 2,000 people arrested shortly before a protest demanding India’s election chief resign.

Activist and founder of the online ‘cockroach’ movement Abhijeet Dipke was detained by police after landing in New Delhi, India, on Saturday.

The 31-year-old, who was meant to lead the rally prior to his arrest, shot to fame in May with a viral social media post.

His satirical Cockroach Janta Party, which has amassed tens of millions of followers online, is calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The party is also demanding electoral reforms take place months before important state elections.

In a video shared on social media, Dipke said ‘this is a dictatorship’ before he was taken away.

‘We are not afraid of you. Go ahead and arrest us. Victory to Mother India! Long live the revolution,’ he added.

Alongside Dipke, two other Cockroach Party leaders were detained on their flight to Delhi ahead of the protest.

The party’s demands have since been echoed by opposition parties and critics following alleged misconduct.

It comes as the movement has drawn thousands of young supporters to the streets in protest against the powerful Election Commission.

The party was created in response to an off-the-cuff comment made by Chief Justice Surya Kant who likened young people who criticised the government to ‘cockroaches’ and ‘parasites’.

In a post on X, Dipke, who is a Boston University graduate said: ‘What if all cockroaches come together?’.

The response to the video was immediate with thousands signing up to the movement within hours.

Dipke said that he was ‘taken aback’ by Kant’s remarks.

‘How can the custodian of the constitution compare the youth with cockroaches and parasites, just for expressing their opinions and criticising the system?’ he said in an interview in July.

The movement’s social media reach quickly exploded, fuelled largely by Gen Z supporters angered by unemployment, examination scandals and what they see as compromised institutions.

The ‘cockroach’ label became a symbol of a generation that has felt unheard and dismissed by those in power, supporters have said.

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