Archive · 10 Oct 2026
CJP Leaders Detained Ahead of Delhi Protest Over Electoral Rolls
The Cockroach Janta Party planned a protest in Delhi about alleged problems with voter lists.
The party wanted Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign.
Police had not given permission for the protest.
Abhijeet Dipke and two other CJP leaders were detained after their plane landed in Delhi.
Reports said they were taken to different places, although an initial party post said their location was unknown.
Other activists and politicians were also reported detained.
Dipke’s parents said people should be able to protest peacefully.
His grandmother died while he was detained.
Reports said he was informed, but did not say whether he was released or attended her funeral.
Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke and co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka aboard their flight after it landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The CJP planned a Jantar Mantar protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged electoral-roll irregularities, including the Special Intensive Revision.
Delhi Police had denied permission for the demonstration; the articles report that the three leaders were taken to separate locations, though one CJP post initially said they were taken to an undisclosed location.
Other reported detainees included Dhruv Rathee, Ratna Singh, several CPI(M) leaders, and people detained in other cities; reports said more than 1,500 people had been detained in Delhi.
Dipke’s parents criticised the detention and defended the right to peaceful protest; his 85-year-old grandmother died in Maharashtra while he was detained, and reports did not establish whether he was released to attend her funeral.
- Who
- CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, and other reported protesters and political figures.
- What
- Delhi Police detained the three CJP leaders ahead of a planned protest calling for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
- When
- Saturday, October 10; the articles do not specify the year.
- Where
- Indira Gandhi International Airport and Jantar Mantar in Delhi; other detentions were reported in Delhi and other cities.
- Why
- The CJP planned to protest alleged electoral-roll irregularities, including those linked to the Special Intensive Revision.
CJP and Dipke’s family
Police and authorities
Right to protest
CJP and Dipke’s family
Dipke’s parents said the protesters intended to demonstrate peacefully and that citizens should be able to question the government through protests.
Police and authorities
Delhi Police had denied permission for the Jantar Mantar demonstration and detained CJP leaders. The reports do not provide the police’s specific reason for detaining them.
Electoral-roll allegations
CJP and Dipke’s family
The CJP alleged irregularities in electoral-roll revision, including the Special Intensive Revision, and demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Police and authorities
The allegations are described as contested; the articles do not include a response from Kumar or the Election Commission.
Government criticism
CJP and Dipke’s family
Dipke’s father accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of undermining democracy; these were his political allegations, not independently established findings.
Police and authorities
The reports note that permission for the protest had been denied but do not include a government response to the parents’ criticism.
- Organising group
- Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)
- Planned protest site
- Jantar Mantar, Delhi
- Protest demand
- Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation
- Leaders detained at airport
- Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka
- Reported destinations
- One report said Dipke was taken to South Delhi, Ranka to Dwarka and Das to another location in Delhi; an earlier CJP post described their destination as undisclosed.
- Reported detentions in Delhi
- More than 1,500 people
- Planned security deployment
- About 35,000 police and paramilitary personnel
- Family development
- Dipke’s 85-year-old paternal grandmother, Savitribai Shankarrao Dipke, died in Maharashtra while he was detained.
