Delhi braces for more protests as 'cockroach' group's leaders released

What the report says

A court in Delhi has ordered the release of senior leaders of the Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, after they were detained as they arrived in the Indian capital on Saturday. The group’s founder, Abhijeet Dipke, along with Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, had come to back protests calling for electoral reforms and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. BBC World News reported that the court released them with a condition tied to keeping the peace, though the practical effect of that order was not immediately clear.

The ruling came as Delhi remained under heavy security ahead of another day of demonstrations. Police had blocked access to Jantar Mantar, a regular protest site, and erected barricades across roads while metro stations and some rail services were shut or disrupted. BBC World News said thousands of officers and paramilitary personnel were deployed, while many would-be protesters were stopped, detained and later freed. Reports cited by the broadcaster said about 7,000 people were detained on Saturday.

The CJP is not a registered political party in India, but it has become a visible protest movement in recent months, first around education reforms and now over voter-roll revisions. More broadly, the dispute reflects wider political tension around the Election Commission’s nationwide update of electoral lists, which the commission says is a routine cleanup and critics say may wrongly remove eligible voters. The CJP and opposition figures deny that explanation and accuse the commission of bias; the commission and the ruling BJP reject those claims.