The Newshound

India's 'Cockroach' movement leader Abhijeet Dipke is detained AGAIN as Modi cracks down on Delhi protest

India's 'Cockroach' movement leader Abhijeet Dipke is detained AGAIN as Modi cracks down on Delhi protest

Abhijeet Dipke, founder of India's youth-led Cockroach Janta Party, was pushed into a police vehicle on Friday — his second arrest in a week — before a planned flag-waving rally at Connaught Place in central New Delhi. Authorities shut the Central Park venue and deployed heavy security; two other CJP leaders had already been imprisoned for five days this week after protesting at a prohibited site. Live footage on the CJP's Instagram showed Dipke confronting the officers detaining him: "I have not broken any law right now — how can you detain me?"

The Cockroach movement emerged from online satire after India's chief justice compared unemployed young people to parasites, with youth reclaiming the insult as a symbol of resilience.

Protesters are calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a voter-roll revision that removed 130 million names from the rolls — critics contend it disproportionately affects minorities and advantages Modi's BJP.

MoreThe GuardianIndia’s Cockroach Janta party leader detained amid crackdown on protestsThe IndependentPolice detain founder of India’s ‘cockroach’ movement ahead of planned protestFinancial TimesIndia police detain ‘Cockroach’ leader again to head off new protestsThe IndependentIndian authorities tighten security in New Delhi ahead of 'Cockroach' movement's rallyReutersSecurity stepped up in India's capital for 'cockroach' movement rally
Read today's full feed at The Newshound →