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Saurav Das, chief spokesperson of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), speaks during a press conference following his release at the Press Club of India in New Delhi on the 11th (local time). To the right is Ashutosh Lanka, joint secretary. Both were released after being detained during a protest calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. / Reuters-Yonhap News

Leadership of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a youth-led online movement spearheading protests demanding the resignation of India's Chief Election Commissioner, was released just a day after being detained ahead of a massive rally.

Ratna Singh, lead counsel for the CJP, announced via social media on the 11th (local time) that three leaders, including founder Abhijit Dipke, were released by an executive magistrate's court. The condition for their release was an undertaking to maintain public peace for one year. Within hours of being freed, the leadership declared they would not halt their campaign demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Immediately after his release, Dipke directed his criticism at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Writing on social media, he stated, "As Prime Minister, Modi is an embarrassment to India," adding, "This country has never witnessed a bigger coward and bully."

The detentions occurred the previous day. Dipke and two others arrived in the capital, New Delhi, on a flight from Mumbai on the 10th but were taken into custody before they could even disembark from the aircraft. The CJP claimed that thousands of protesters were detained ahead of the rally scheduled for that day. According to the CJP and local Indian media, authorities launched a sweeping security operation across the capital to prevent protesters from gathering at Jantar Mantar, Delhi's prominent protest site. Activist and social media influencer Dhruv Rathee was also detained at his residence before being released. Police have not issued an official statement regarding the detentions.

On the 11th, the CJP again appealed to supporters to march on Jantar Mantar, though large crowds of demonstrators were not seen gathering around the area. Delhi metro stations that had been shut on the 10th reopened the following day, albeit with heavy deployments of security personnel stationed at station entrances.

The planned rally on the 10th was intended to serve as the culmination of weeks of opposition mobilization following allegations of irregularities during the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. According to media reports, more than 133 million names were removed from voter lists during the exercise. This prompted criticism that minority populations, including Muslims, were disproportionately disenfranchised in a manner that could favor Prime Minister Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Election Commission of India has maintained that the revision was conducted to eliminate duplicate, deceased, and fraudulent entries, denying any allegations of wrongdoing.

The CJP had previously forced a concession from the Modi government. Launched by Dipke in May as a satirical movement, the CJP amassed millions of followers on social media. The group's name parodying the ruling BJP was inspired by remarks allegedly made by Chief Justice Surya Kant comparing unemployed youth to cockroaches. Protests organized by the CJP in July over examination irregularities led to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, an outcome widely seen as a rare retreat by the Modi administration.

The mass detentions on the 10th drew fierce condemnation that the Modi government is stifling dissenting voices. In Geneva, Switzerland, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for the immediate and unconditional release of all individuals "arbitrarily detained" in Delhi.

Both the CJP and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi declared that protests would proceed despite the crackdown. Gandhi stated that his Indian National Congress party and the nation's youth would take to the streets in large numbers again on the 12th, adding, "The more Modi and his government suppress them, the greater the anger of Gen Z and students will grow."

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A student activist holds a placard featuring a photograph of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a protest in Kolkata on the 11th (local time). Demonstrators called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging irregularities in the voter registry overseen by the election commission. / AFP, Yonhap News

                                                                                                               Jeong Ri-na