India ‘cockroach’ party says its leaders detained ahead of march

Dozens of people, including Cockroach Janta Party leader Abhijeet Dipke, have been detained in India's capital Delhi ahead of a major protest, the collective says

Parts of the city have been turned into a fortress, with tens of thousands of security personnel deployed and roads leading to the protest site blocked

The protesters want electoral reforms and the resignation of India's election chief, Gyanesh Kumar, over allegations of manipulation of voters' lists

The Election Commission denies the allegations, while Kumar is yet to comment on calls for his resignation

Police had refused permission for the protest, saying they fear a repeat of violence seen at earlier demonstrations

The CJP began as a satirical online campaign before growing into a youth-led movement that has drawn thousands onto the streets

Its last major protest in July saw violent clashes with police and forced India's education minister to resign

PreviousNext1:34'Cockroach' protester detained minutes after BBC interview. 00:01:34, play video'Cockroach' protester detained minutes after BBC interview1:11'Cockroach' leaders say they have been arrested ahead of march. 00:01:11, play video'Cockroach' leaders say they have been arrested ahead of march1:23Heavy police and barricading: Scenes at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. 00:01:23, play videoHeavy police and barricading: Scenes at Delhi's Jantar MantarLive ReportingEdited by Manish Adhikary in London and produced by Sharanya Hrishikesh and Zoya Mateen in Delhi

At the heart of today's protests is a simple but crucial question: who gets to vote in India? The Election Commission is carrying out a massive check of voter lists, known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) which it says will weed out dead, duplicate or ineligible voters. Unlike routine updates, it involves officials going door to door to verify voters and draw up fresh lists.

The exercise began in Bihar in June 2025 and has since spread to most of India. And the numbers are striking. More than 130 million names – about 13% of India's electorate – have been left off draft voter lists across 30 states and federal territories. Critics fear eligible voters could lose their right to vote. Opposition parties also accuse the government of using the exercise to check people's citizenship and benefit their party. The government denies this, while the Election Commission says SIR is simply about keeping voter lists accurate.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing The protests have become a wider test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Saturday’s protests are the latest in a series of demonstrations that opposition parties have been doing – but given that the CJP is not a registered political party, its call is expected to attract people across all backgrounds, not just party supporters.

The protests also come just months before crucial state elections, with the controversial electoral roll revisions giving opposition parties a strong issue to rally their supporters. It would also be a test of the CJP’s popularity – the last protests it held in Delhi forced a federal minister to step down. The question now, experts say, is whether it can sustain that momentum.

The government's response has raised the stakes further. Authorities have announced harsh travel restrictions, activists have been detained, and opposition leaders have also been pushed back and detained while protesting this week.

It's still unclear what will happen next.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing Hours before his detention, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke told media that even the prospect of jail or being charged under national security laws would not stop supporters of the movement.

“We will continue to fight for democracy and will ensure [Cheif Election Commissioner] Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation,” he told news agency ANI.

In a separate post on social media, he said the mass detention of protesters and the shutdown of Delhi were “not signs of strength, but of a leader terrified of his own people”.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingGeeta PandeyReporting from Jantar Mantar, Delhi

One of the early protesters, Sabika Muzaffar, arrived with her mother at Jantar Mantar and said they expected to be detained.

“On the way to the protest site, instead of reciting hymns and verses as we usually do, my mother and I were rote learning our lawyer’s number.”

She said that showing up to protest was "her way of defending the country and its democracy".

A few minutes after the BBC spoke to Muzaffar, police took her away in what appeared to be a detention.

Sabika Muzaffar travelled from neighbouring Haryana state with her mother to take part in Saturday's protest

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingAzadeh MoshiriReporting from Jantar Mantar, Delhi

Thousands of protesters gathered in Mumbai last week for Cockroach Janta Party’s first large-scale protest since the summer. Like today’s demonstration, it was unauthorised.

But this time, the response from authorities is of a different scale.

Beyond the heavy security presence, dozens of metro stations have been shut. Loudspeakers have been blaring a reminder that there is a ban on gatherings of five people or more in parts of Delhi, and there are reports of reduced train services to the capital.

On the eve of the protest, a group of senior lawyers told the Supreme Court this was an unprecedented “shutting down” of the capital.

The police crackdown this summer on CJP protesters is still fresh in people’s minds. Images of young protesters teargassed and hit with batons spurred an even larger turnout. I met parents who joined the protests, telling me they were there to protect the students around them.

That experience will loom large today. How the authorities handle any confrontation could shape the course of the days ahead.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingGeeta PandeyReporting from Jantar Mantar, Delhi

Delhi feels like it is under siege, with barricades and diversions on major roads leading to the city centre. A journey that would normally take 15 minutes took me an hour and 10 minutes this morning.

At Jantar Mantar, thousands of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed. The main protest site has been cordoned off with metal barricades and ropes, keeping people out.

Announcements asking people to cooperate with the police can be heard constantly over loudspeakers at the traffic roundabout.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing Delhi had been put on high alert ahead of the protests, with thousands of security personnel deployed across the Indian capital. According to reports, around 23,000 central security personnel have been called in to assist the city police with maintaining law and order over the weekend. Police have put up barricades around Jantar Mantar – the planned protest site – and along roads leading to the Election Commission office and key buildings nearby.

More surprising are the larger restrictions – several trains to and from major Delhi stations have been cancelled and dozens of metro stations have been closed from Friday night. This means even people who don't plan to attend the protests will have a tough time travelling on Saturday.

These restrictions remain in place despite the Supreme Court asking the Delhi Police on Friday not to inconvenience the people of Delhi by shutting down public transport.

Authorities have also closed liquor shops on Friday and Saturday as a “preventative” step to maintain public order.

Delhi has seen large protests many times over the years, but it is rare for such overarching restrictions to be imposed.

Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in Delhi

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing The Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, started as an internet joke. Founded in May by Abhijeet Dipke, the group emerged as a satirical collective after remarks by India's senior-most judge comparing some unemployed young people to cockroaches. But the joke soon turned serious, tapping into anger over unemployment, exam paper leaks and government accountability. The group made headlines with protests over alleged irregularities in a key medical entrance exam, forcing then-Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign in July.

Now, the CJP has a new target – India's Election Commission. It accuses the commission of unfairly removing eligible voters from electoral rolls – an allegation the organisation denies.

Protests led by the CJP ended with a rare resignation of a federal minister just two months ago

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing Protesters are attempting to march to Jantar Mantar – an 18th century astronomical observatory and the Indian capital's best-known protest site – to demand electoral reforms and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. They accuse Kumar of manipulating voter rolls to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Both the Election Commission and BJP have denied this.

The CJP’s protest call has been backed by several other organisations, so the expectation was of huge crowds reaching the site. But police have been detaining people near Jantar Mantar, so we haven't seen any larger crowds yet. Many people may also be deterred by the heavy travel restricitons and police presence in place across the city.

The police have cordoned off protest site Jantar Mantar

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing India's Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party says its main leaders, including founder Abhijeet Dipke, have been detained from the Delhi airport on their way to a protest march in the city.

The government or Delhi Poice have not commented on the CJP's claim yet.

Dozens of others have also been detained in Delhi, while many people have been stopped on their way to attend the protest.

Protesters are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and calling for electoral reforms. Security has been tightened across Delhi, with restrictions in place in several areas.

Stay with us as we bring you live updates throughout the day.