Delhi spent the weekend under heavy security. Police detained more than 2,000 people on Saturday, locked down the city centre and deployed thousands of police and paramilitary personnel as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) tried to hold its second mass protest at Jantar Mantar. By Sunday, a court had ordered the release of the movement’s founder, Abhijeet Dipke, and two other senior leaders, who were detained when their plane landed in Delhi.
For a group that started life as an online campaign, it is a striking moment. Here is how the Cockroach Janta Party got here.
From a social media campaign to street protests
The CJP began online and moved onto the streets over time. Its first big test came on July 20, when it held a sit-in at Jantar Mantar over the NEET-UG paper leak and called on thousands of supporters to march towards Parliament. Police cracked down on that gathering.
The movement’s supporters say the pressure worked. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned within days, and Dipke addressed celebrating supporters at Jantar Mantar on July 25. Whatever the exact cause and effect, the CJP now presents the resignation as proof that street pressure can change outcomes.
Why the CJP is targeting Gyanesh Kumar
The movement’s current focus is the Election Commission of India. In late September, The Indian Express reported that two of the three election commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had raised concerns internally about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, including voter list revisions, registration procedures and digital systems. Reports say they recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over ten months.
Critics also point to Election Commission data suggesting that voter lists in some regions could shrink by as much as 30 percent. Some opposition leaders and activists accuse Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of political bias and allege that the revision benefits the ruling party.
The Election Commission rejects this. It says differing views are a normal part of deliberation, that its decisions, including those on SIR, were unanimous, and that all its actions were lawful. The government also denies wrongdoing, and a BJP spokesperson said no constitutional body in India is under dictatorial rule.
The protests so far
The CJP demanded Kumar’s resignation and criminal proceedings against him, and set deadlines that came and went. Protests followed in Mumbai on October 2, where hundreds gathered at Shivaji Park, and in Delhi, where police blocked gatherings at Jantar Mantar and detained hundreds of people, including AAP leader Atishi and activist Yogendra Yadav.
The movement is no longer acting alone. Opposition parties, student groups such as the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and others have joined in, and Congress announced protest marches on state election offices. On Saturday, authorities also restricted mobile internet and metro services in Delhi. Metro stations reopened and mobile internet returned on Sunday, though a heavy police presence remained.
Criticism, international attention and the government’s response
Opposition parties and critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government called the force used against protesters high-handed. A United Nations statement on the situation drew a sharp reply from India’s foreign ministry, which called the U.N.’s approach selective and described its statement as an unwarranted interference in India’s internal affairs.
The CJP has called the latest round “Season 2” on its social media accounts and says it will not stop until the election system is reformed.
What happens next
It is too early to say whether the CJP can repeat its July result. Unlike a ministerial resignation, the Chief Election Commissioner is a constitutional appointee, and removal is a far harder process. What is clear is that a movement born on social media can now put thousands of people on the streets, force a large security response and keep voter list revisions in the national conversation.
The key questions to watch are whether the protests continue beyond Delhi, how the Election Commission answers the allegations about internal objections, and whether the SIR exercise changes course.
