New Delhi(National Times)- Police detained India’s ‘cockroach’ movement founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday, live images from his group showed, ahead of a protest called by him in capital Delhi’s central business district, the latest rally to demand the resignation of India’s election chief.
The youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), opposition groups, and student organisations have held almost daily protests this month demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over a revision of voter lists that critics say favours Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
More than 130 million voters were deleted during the revision but the Election Commission has denied favouring any party and said wrongly deleted voters can re-enrol. The BJP has accused rivals of trying to undermine democracy by wrongly questioning legitimate electoral processes.
Dipke called Friday’s protest in support of two CJP leaders detained and sent to jail this week for five days for demonstrating at a protest site in violation of a ban.
The group and left-wing student organisations had urged supporters to gather at the Central Park in New Delhi’s busy Connaught Place shopping and food district on Friday evening to wave and hoist the national flag.
The live video on CJP’s Instagram handle showed Dipke coming out of a house and walking towards the street, where police officers stopped him and, after a brief argument, hauled him into a police car and drove away.
“We are detaining you right now,” a police officer could be heard telling Dipke.
“I have not broken any law right now…how can you detain me?” Dipke asked the police officers as he was taken away.
There was no immediate comment from the police on the detention.
Earlier on Friday, police met Dipke and warned him against going ahead with the protest.
Park closed ahead of protest
Authorities closed the central New Delhi park before the protest over the voter-roll revision, which critics say has disenfranchised millions.
Dipke urged supporters to rally at Central Park after two of his colleagues were detained for breaching security barricades at Jantar Mantar, where they had gone to wave the national flag.
Earlier this week, police removed authorisation for Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site.
On Friday, thousands of security personnel were deployed in parts of the city, with yellow-coloured metal barricades put up at key intersections.
Earlier, Dipke said he was undeterred despite the possibility of being arrested ahead of Friday’s protest.
“Why are you so afraid of cockroaches?” Dipke said.
“I want to tell Narendra Modi that we are not afraid… if waving the Indian national flag lands you in jail, we are ready,” he said Thursday.
Delhi’s municipal authorities said they were closing the Central Park for two days for “administrative” reasons.
Delhi Police have barred public gatherings around Connaught Place citing concerns about public order and safety.
Violation of the orders would “attract suitable legal action”, police said Thursday, but added that they would allow “selected persons” to gather at a “suitable place”.
In recent days, the Indian capital has seen street protests over a large-scale voter roll revision exercise overseen by chief election commissioner Kumar.
Critics say the removals have disproportionately affected minorities, particularly Muslims.
Election authorities say the move was intended to eliminate duplicate, deceased and fraudulent entries.
Members of Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP have long alleged that large numbers of undocumented Muslim migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh have fraudulently entered India’s electoral rolls.
On Friday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh dismissed the allegations, saying the sole agenda of the opposition parties was “to destroy democratic institutions and create unrest in the country”.
“Their fight is not for electoral reform… not for Gyanesh Kumar, not for the bright future of the country’s youth,” he said at a news conference.
“Rather, this is their conspiracy to seize power by creating anarchy in the country.”
